Lawyer: Federal Recognition Crucial For Namaygoosisagagun Rebuilding Efforts the Answer

Wildfire damage is pictured from the air in Collins First Nation, a small, remote Ojibwa community located in northwestern Ontario, about 250 km north of Thunder Bay, Ont., on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

By Alex Murray Writer After the entire community was razed by wildfire, Namaygoosisagagun First Nation now needs to rebuild. And the First Nation’s lawyer says there is a very clear way to resolve the issues facing that rebuild: federal recognition as a First Nation, which they do not currently have. “Make them have status, and all the problems go away,” Meaghan Daniel, general counsel for Namaygoosisagagun, told Turtle Island News. “Usually there’s no magic wand. Here, there is one. There’s an actual magic wand, which is: here’s the First Nation status.” “Give them status. Now we can rebuild capital infrastructure, we can put back the generators. We can put back the houses. We can put back the band office. Literally magic wand me, and we can fix this. But if…

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