Northern Ontario chief says his community continues to 'fear' flooding because of neighbouring First Nation

The chief of Kashechewan says his Cree community on Ontario's James Bay Coast remains at risk of flooding every spring because of the neighbouring First Nation.

Kashechewan has been talking to the federal government about moving off the flood plain of the Albany River for nearly two decades, most recently cemented in a 2019 agreement to relocate the community of 2,000 to higher ground by 2029.

But Chief Gaius Wesley says the negotiations changed a few years ago when the government said Fort Albany, a First Nation on the other side of the river, is required to sign off on the move. 

"I honestly don't know how they came up with that. I feel like our lives are just being played with," he said.

Wesley says he and previous Kashechewan leaders have tried to "bring them on board" and suggests that Fort Albany, which is also threatened by flooding, also be moved to a new location. 

But he says Fort Albany leaders have been unwilling to work with him, which this week prompted him to speak publicly about the impasse, posting on Facebook in hopes that people in Fort Albany "push their local leadership to work with us and rebuild the relationship around this file."

"Our people continue to live in fear. Our children continue to live in fear every spring," Wesley said. 

"I feel like people are missing the big picture. It is for the safety of the people."

Both communities are in the midst of precautionary evacuations this week, with elders predicting this could be a bad season for spring flooding.

People in Kashechewan are flown out every spring, to the point it's known as "evacuation season," but this year Fort Albany is also flying some of its 700 citizens to hotels in Mississauga beginning on Friday.

Fort Albany Chief Elizabeth Kataquapit took questions about the evacuation in an online town hall this week, but did not address the question of relocation and has not made herself available to speak with CBC for several months.

In February, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told CBC that plans to move Kashechewan were stalled because the First Nation had not chosen where it wants to move to.

"When Kashechewan determines for themselves where they want to be relocated, the government is fully committed to support those costs," she told CBC Sudbury. 

"That is a difficult conversation for the community. I know there are a number of political dynamics at play. I know this work they are doing. And we stand by ready to assist when they have determined what they would like to proceed on."