Local First Nations helping fire evacuees in Sault Ste. Marie

As wildfire evacuees from North Spirit Lake First Nation continue to settle into their accommodations in Sault Ste. Marie, nearby Indigenous communities are stepping up to ensure their stay is as comfortable as possible. (Mike McDonald/CTV News)

Sault Ste. Marie -

As wildfire evacuees from North Spirit Lake First Nation continue to settle into their accommodations in Sault Ste. Marie, nearby Indigenous communities are stepping up to ensure their stay is as comfortable as possible.

One way of doing that is to offer cultural support.

The leaders of Batchewana and Garden River First Nations said overcoming the hustle and bustle of a city -- particularly the noise -- can be a hard adjustment for people from remote communities.

"A lot of our people are not used to the city, and the noises of the city, the busyness of the city, all these buses and traffic, it can be intimidating," said Chief Dean Sayers of Batchewana. "I think it really calls for an opportunity to get on the land."

Chief Andy Rickard of Garden River said offering cultural experiences that mirror their home life can help evacuees to cope.

"The things that we enjoy here is access to our beautiful beach, we have some fishing spots because we know that some of the community members that came from those communities, fishing and harvesting is a big part of their life," Rickard said.

Meantime, Sayers and Rickard want to know what's behind the high frequency of evacuations of Indigenous communities across northern Ontario.

"I would call an inquiry into the displacement of or the evacuation of First Nations people," Sayers said. "Why is that incident rate so high? It just doesn't make sense."

"You talk about reconciliation, right? That's the big buzzword today is that some of these communities are still dealing with those challenges that they've been having with the feds, or the province, for 20, 30, 40 years," said Rickard. "Kashechewan is a prime example. They experience flooding every wintertime and they're having to evacuate every winter."

Sayers and Rickard said their communities are open to the evacuees from North Spirit Lake. They're organizing some activities to get the evacuees onto their traditional lands and waters.