THUNDER BAY — The leadership of Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, also known as Gull Bay First Nation, is “vehemently opposing” the Ontario government's withdrawal of forest fire implementation and evacuation orders around the public.
Wilfred King, chief of the Ojibway First Nation in northwestern Ontario, expressed his views about the withdrawal during an interview with CBC the city. North of Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, Thunder Bay 36 is thelargest blaze in the province, covering more than 301,000 hectares. To the southwest are wildfires Dryden 34 (over 45,000 hectares), Dryden 35 (over 31,000 hectares) and Thunder Bay 56 (nearly 8,000 hectares).
While leadership was aware and objected by letter to the minister of Energy and Natural Resources on plans to lift the orders, they received a letter on Thursday stating that they would end at 12:02 a.m.ET on Friday, according to King. This First Nation in Ontario cautions against premature optimism over blaze threats The blazes surrounding the area to the north and west are still out of control, he remarked, noting that the northern fire is only 20 kilometres from the local residents and the western wildfires are roughly 30 kilometres away. If the fire west of the public grows and poses a threat, King shared, it would cross Highway 527, which is their only escape route. “The only escape would be jumping on boats and crossing Lake Nipigon, and that’s not an alternative." After seeing what happened in Namaygoosisagagun, Whitesand First Nation and Armstrong, where the fire moved roughly 48 kilometres per day, he stated the region was quite concerned that these blazes weren't under control and it would alleviate their misgivings if they were.
“We’re in the middle of a sewage initiative that had to be suspended because of the wildfires, and so those sorts of infrastructure things have to be addressed before we can even tell people to go back,” King noted.
“If the weather conditions improve, we would feel a lot more comfortable,” King declared. While the citizens has received updates on improved blaze conditions, King explained that their misgivings have not been alleviated, as the updates are mostly a day late — he doesn’t believe they’re accurate. “A lot of times, the maps of the area burnt — we don’t get those till sometimes two days later,” King advised. Although the wildfires are the community’s first and foremost concern, as they could “basically wipe the whole the area out,” King confirmed that before people return to the local residents, they also need to address the water treatment plant. “Everybody’s anxious to go back and obviously, we want to make sure that there’s a smooth transition. We have to ensure [the] infrastructure is in working order. We have to do testing of our water treatment plant to make sure the water is potable and drinkable." Another concern was preventing a similar re-evacuation as Neskantaga First Nationdue to sewage backup in the region. “We’re in the middle of a sewage initiative that had to be suspended because of the wildfires, and so those sorts of infrastructure things have to be addressed before we can even tell people to go back,” King noted. Those are the sort of things that the citizens is completely aware of, but theministryis “blind to recognize,” he indicated. CBC News reached out to the MNR for comment on Gull Bay’s worries and received an emailed statement on Tuesday evening. “The Ministry of Natural Resources continues to be in regular contact with First Nations communities to share information on fire activity and answer questions,” wrote spokesperson Mike Fenn. “Changes to evacuation orders released by the ministry will only be made when wildfires no longer pose a risk to citizens, based on the best advice of fire behaviour experts.” Evacuees' photos show raging forest fire that forced evacuation in northwestern Ontario However, King shared, the community’s position is that the implementation order should have stayed in effect until they’re confident that their citizens will be secure. Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek has support from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), and the minister has assured them it’s up to the local residents to lift its own evacuation order, King shared, noting they’ve agreed to support its position. While nothing prevents members from returning to the citizens, he stated, chief and council made it clear to members that, if they return, they’d be entering at their own risk. They won'ttake responsibility or any liability if something disastrous happens to the local residents or members, King added. TheHope for Wellness Helplineprovides immediate, toll-free telephone and online chat-based emotional support and crisis intervention to all Indigenous people in Canada. This service is available 24/7 in English and French, and upon request in Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut. Nicky Shaw is a reporter for CBC the northwestern Ontario hub. She graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism and a minor in Environmental and Climate Humanities from Carleton University. Aligning with her passion for covering global environmental and humanitarian issues, she has worked to develop in-depth multimedia content that shares the diverse experiences of people in Northwestern Ontario. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered onCBC Gem..
Community members are encouraged to stay informed and share this information with friends and family. Following trusted local news sources helps ensure everyone stays up to date with events and announcements affecting Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario.
🔗 Read the original report from CBC News Thunder Bay
For more local news, weather, sports, events, and community updates across Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, visit ThunderBay.Online — your trusted source for everything happening in the region.
📍 Source: CBC News Thunder Bay · By: CBC News Staff · 🗓️ August 08, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
