Smoke and Survival: Canada's Indigenous Communities in Crisis
In May, wildfires forced Joseph Garry and thousands from Canada's indigenous communities to evacuate. Government-provided flights took evacuees like Garry to Niagara Falls, highlighting the crisis's impact on indigenous populations and inadequate government response. The fires have swept across Canada, displacing over 30,000 people and affecting multiple sectors.
As wildfires ravaged Manitoba's northern regions, 63-year-old Joseph Garry evacuated the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation by helicopter. Along with fellow evacuees, Garry endured government-organized flights before finding refuge nearly 2,000 kilometers away in Niagara Falls, Canada's premier tourist spot.
Wildfires across Canada, which began in early May, have displaced over 30,000 people, impacting three provinces and sending smoke into the United States. Indigenous groups, comprising only 5% of Canada's populace, have faced significant challenges amidst Manitoba's largest fire evacuation effort. With over 21,000 registered evacuees, Manitoba has reported 28 fires, ten of them uncontrollable.
Niagara Falls is providing temporary shelter to approximately 2,500 evacuees from Manitoba and Northern Ontario, straining local resources as tourist season approaches. Indigenous leaders criticized federal and provincial responses, citing poor communication and delays. Affected communities recount harrowing evacuation experiences as officials monitor ongoing wildfires.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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