First Nations leaders reject ‘homeless’ label for Kashechewan evacuees in Niagara Falls

By Marissa Lentz-McGrath, Local Journalism Initiative, TimminsToday.com NIAGARA FALLS — Northern Ontario leaders say the priority should be fixing the infrastructure problems that forced Kashechewan residents to leave their homes, rather than criticizing those affected by the evacuation. These comments followed a discussion at a Niagara Falls council meeting on June 23, where retired CAO Ken Todd presented the city’s Unhoused and Vulnerable Populations Action Plan and said people assume First Nations evacuees are homeless. This week, First Nations leaders have spoken out, condemning the comments, with Kashechewan Chief Hosea Wesley saying that people are “displaced, not homeless”. In an email to TimminsToday, Carey Campbell, manager of the office of the mayor and CAO, said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati would not comment further until after scheduled meetings with First…

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