Grand Council Chief calls on senior MNR officials to resign following wildfires that left citizens scrambling and communities in ashes

By Jacqueline St.Pierre, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Manitoulin Expositor MANITOULIN—As First Nations across Northwestern Ontario continue to grapple with the aftermath of one of the province’s most devastating wildfire seasons on record, calls for a public inquiry are growing louder. But for Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige, the crisis did not begin when communities were forced to flee. It began long before the first evacuation order was issued. “This community has been failed in epic proportions by both Canada and Ontario,” Grand Council Chief Debassige told The Expositor, referring to Namaygoosisagagun (Collins) First Nation, where wildfire destroyed homes and forced residents to flee with little warning. “This was the full responsibility of the province to monitor what was happening on the ground, as delegated by Canada, and…

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