Family in remote northern Ont. reeling after daughter killed in fire, home destroyed
A family in the remote First Nation community in Peawanuck, Ont., is dealing not only with the death of their young daughter, but the loss of everything they owned in a Jan. 28 house fire.
Ten people lived in the Wabano family home. JC, the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, was killed in the fire. The family is now temporarily living in the band office.
Weenusk First Nation is an isolated Cree community in the Kenora District, which is part of the Mushkegowuk Council, about 35 kilometres from the Winisk River's end in Hudson Bay. Its population is less than 300 people.
Retired OPP sergeant Randy Cota and his wife Betty Crawford have set up a GoFundMe page in hopes of helping the family find a new place to live
"Beautiful people," Cota said of the family, who are suffering on many levels following the tragedy.
He said in a community where everyone knows everyone else, the fire sent a "ripple effect that goes all the way down the coastline."
"We'd really like to see them get (help.) They're living at the band office right now, with no privacy," he said.
"It's just devastating, you know, to lose a little daughter and then to be homeless with only the clothes on your back. (But) that’s the true meaning community and caring for ones that are less fortunate. We have to step up, right?"
Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus tweeted about the tragedy on Monday.
"My deepest sympathies to the Wabano family who lost a child in a house fire this past weekend," Angus said.
"There was no fire fighting services in the community of Peawanuck. This is (a) tragedy that cannot be allowed to happen again."
And the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority appealed for donations to help the family.
"We are reaching out to ask if anyone would be willing to donate clothing, jackets, and boots to assist them during this difficult time," the group said on its Facebook page.
And Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, sent this statement to CTV News:
"Tragically, a young girl lost her life in a house fire this past weekend in Peawanuck, and my thoughts are with the family and entire community following this heartbreaking loss.
On Sunday, I spoke with Chief Hunter to express my condolences and confirm that Indigenous Services Canada is available to help coordinate supports to the family and community. Our officials are in contact with Chief Hunter and Peawanuck and working with all partners in the region, including Weeneebayko Area Health Authority. We will provide more updates as they become available."
Cota said the local support is growing but he’s hoping more people will pitch in to help the family recover.
"They're having a tough time," he said.
"Not only do they have to deal with having no house and no home, they also have to deal with the loss of one of their daughters."
"They need finances to be able to get established to get somewhere to stay. So we're hoping … we can actually make a difference here and get them established again. And so they don't have to worry about a home, at least."
You can donate to the family here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.