Amnesty International Canada echoes First Nation calls for public inquiry into Ontario wildfire response

Amnesty International Canada echoes First Nation calls for public inquiry into Ontario wildfire response

Over 744,000 hectares of land burned this season, more than a dozen communities evacuated

Amnesty International Canada is echoing calls from First Nation leaders for a public inquiry into the province’s response to wildfires that displaced over a dozen communities in northwestern Ontario.

More than 2,800 people in the region alone were evacuated from their homes at the peak of this summer’s wildfire activity.

On Monday, an Amnesty International Canada statement urged Premier Doug Ford's government "to launch a full, transparent public inquiry under the Public Inquiries Act" into the provincial wildfire response, "including the impacts of administrative failures and budget cuts.”

Erin Riley-Oettl, Amnesty International Canada's manager of human rights law, campaigns and advocacy, was interviewed by CBC News after the statement was released.

“The question we'd like a public inquiry to address is whether Ontario has the permanent readiness to address the current and worsening wildfire risk to Indigenous and northern communities, to respond in a manner that respects human rights,” said Riley-Oettl.

“There's a difference between responding to a crisis when it happens in the moment, and preparing properly for an inevitable crisis and having the appropriate measures in place to address that crisis when it arises.”

In July, First Nation chiefs called for a public inquiry demanding accountability from the Ministry of Natural Resources after several communities were had to lead their own evacuations.

So far this season, more than 785 wildfires have burned over 744,000 hectares of land in the northwest, the province says. Namaygoosisagagun First Nation and Whitewater Lake First Nation were destroyed.

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CBC News reached out to Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) for reaction to calls for a public inquiry.

“We’ve nearly doubled base funding for wildfire fighting since 2018, including $150 million this year alone, while adding over 170 permanent fire personnel since 2024, and we are investing another $650 million to add six new waterbombers and five new helicopters to Ontario’s fleet,” Dave Bradley, a spokesperson for for MNR Minister Mike Harris, said in an emailed statement Tuesday.

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The province has a dedicated Indigenous relations team working alongside First Nations and organizations “to strengthen wildland fire capacity through training, knowledge sharing, and enhanced interoperability arrangements,” Bradley said, adding that First Nations Community Fire Officers have been hired to assist in these efforts.

The ministry is also working with Indigenous Services Canada “to support prevention and mitigation projects in First Nations communities that include training and employing community-based firefighters, FireSmart and fuel reduction initiatives, Community Wildfire Protection Plans, prescribed burns and FireSmart training workshops."

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Earlier this month, the province also announced more than $20 million to upgrade the Vedette and Socket Lake Forward Attack Bases in the northwest.

“Once complete, they will be equipped with new staff accommodations, improved operational facilities, upgraded electrical and plumbing and new technologies, which will allow for quicker deployment of critical resources to protect communities during fire season,” the province’s Sept. 14 news release says.

“Ontario is also preparing to upgrade additional wildland fire management facilities across the province, including bases in Ranger Lake and Ogoki.”

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It’s important to recognize the long-term mental health effects that wildfire evacuees may be experiencing, Riley-Oettl said.

“These are individuals who have been living on the land their whole lives and are suddenly uprooted. What we're hearing is that they need culturally appropriate evacuation, health and housing, and long-term recovery support for all displaced community members."

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She also said she wants to see more proactive measures to prepare communities for evacuations before they happen.

At the federal level, Amnesty International Canada is calling on the government to do more to address climate change while recognizing “the climate crisis doesn't affect everyone in the same way.”

In Thunder Bay earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged “more can be done in terms of investing in firefighting and aircraft and other equipment.”

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“More can be done working with communities, particularly Indigenous communities on both traditional methods [of] countering fires, but also for preparations for evacuations and others as those become necessary,” Carney said.

Riley-Oettl said she hopes what both levels of government “truly take away is the knowledge that Indigenous communities and rural communities have over what they need, what the environment needs, how we take care of this planet and how we take care of each other.”

Sarah Law is a CBC News reporter based in Thunder Bay, Ont., and has also worked for newspapers and online publications elsewhere in the province. Have a story tip? You can reach her at sarah.law@cbc.ca.