NAN Appeals for Compassion for Kashechewan Evacuees in Niagara Falls

THUNDER BAY — Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler is calling for compassion and respect for Kashechewan First Nation evacuees who have been housed in Niagara Falls for months after a critical infrastructure failure forced them from their homes.

Fiddler’s statement follows comments made during a Niagara Falls council discussion on an unhoused action plan that, according to NAN and Kashechewan First Nation, left some evacuees feeling unwelcome in their host community.

“Our members have not seen their homes for six months”

Fiddler said the concern is not only the content of the comments, but the way displaced First Nation members are being discussed as Niagara Falls enters its busy tourism season.

“I share the concerns with the callous comments made by Mayor Jim Diodati and a former municipal official who have essentially said that Niagara Falls can’t be the ‘jewel of tourism’ if too many displaced Indigenous people are seen in public,” Fiddler said.

He added that Kashechewan evacuees were welcomed when hotel rooms were being filled in January, but now appear to be viewed differently.

“I remind Mayor Diodati that many evacuees have not seen their homes for six months. It is repugnant that the city’s main concern is public image, not the care and wellbeing of these displaced people who have been forced to seek refuge far from home,” Fiddler said.

Kashechewan says members are displaced, not homeless

In a separate statement, Kashechewan First Nation Chief Hosea Wesley said the community’s members should not be described as homeless.

“Our people are not homeless. We are displaced. There is an important difference,” Wesley said.

He said Elders, parents and children from Kashechewan have homes, a community, a culture and a deep connection to the land, but cannot safely return because of critical water and wastewater infrastructure failures.

Wesley said many people in Niagara Falls have shown compassion, and that the issue should not be framed as blame toward a host community.

“This is not about blaming a host community. In many ways, host communities like Niagara Falls are also experiencing the consequences of these systemic failures and the lack of response by the governments of Ontario and Canada,” Wesley said.

Evacuation followed sewage and water infrastructure failure

Kashechewan Chief and council declared a state of emergency on Jan. 4, 2026, after a major failure of the community’s aging water infrastructure and the flooding of the nursing station with raw sewage.

A full-scale evacuation was organized two days later.

NAN says the failure crippled vital infrastructure and created an immediate and serious risk to public health and safety.

Fiddler points to long-standing infrastructure neglect

Fiddler said the situation reflects broader failures that have left remote First Nations vulnerable to repeated evacuations.

“The remoteness of our communities combined with years of neglect by our federal and provincial partners has left our citizens among the most vulnerable members of society,” he said.

He noted that NAN communities are routinely forced to evacuate because of seasonal flooding, wildfires, health-care emergencies and critical infrastructure failures.

“They don’t mean to be a burden, and we are grateful for the assistance provided by host communities,” Fiddler said.

Regional implications for Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario

The concerns raised by NAN and Kashechewan First Nation are directly relevant to Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, where emergency evacuations from remote First Nations are a recurring reality.
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hunder Bay often serves as a host and service hub during wildfire, flood, health-care and infrastructure emergencies. Hotels, health services, schools, airlines, social agencies and Indigenous organizations are all affected when people are forced to leave their communities for extended periods.

The Kashechewan situation also underlines a long-standing issue across the North: temporary evacuations can become months-long displacements when infrastructure failures are not quickly resolved.

Call for provincial and federal support

Fiddler said NAN agrees that more support is needed from provincial and federal governments to help evacuees and host communities.

But he urged Niagara Falls officials to reflect on how displaced Indigenous people are being described.

“Please see them for who they really are — vulnerable people trying to cope with a difficult situation,” Fiddler said.

Wesley said the larger conversation should focus on preventing future long-term evacuations.

“If there is one conversation we should be having, it is this: How do we ensure that no other First Nation community is forced into a months-long evacuation because critical infrastructure has failed?” Wesley said.