Fort Albany chief not commenting, federal government only says it’s still committed to relocation

CBC News: The chief of Kashechewan says his Cree community on Ontario’s James Bay Coast remains at risk of flooding every spring because of the neighbouring First Nation. Kashechewan has been talking to the federal government about moving off the flood plain of the Albany River for nearly two decades, most recently cemented in a 2019 agreement to relocate the community of 2,000 to higher ground by 2029.

But Chief Gaius Wesley says the negotiations changed a few years ago when the government said Fort Albany, a First Nation on the other side of the river, is required to sign off on the move.  “I honestly don’t know how they came up with that. I feel like our lives are just being played with,” he said.

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Wesley says he and previous Kashechewan leaders have tried to “bring them on board” and suggests that Fort Albany, which is also threatened by flooding, also be moved to a new location.  But he says Fort Albany leaders have been unwilling to work with him, which this week prompted him to speak publicly about the impasse, posting on Facebook in hopes that people in Fort Albany “push their local leadership to work with us and rebuild the relationship around this file.”

“Our people continue to live in fear. Our children continue to live in fear every spring,” Wesley said.  “I feel like people are missing the big picture. It is for the safety of the people.” Both communities are in the midst of precautionary evacuations this week, with elders predicting this could be a bad season for spring flooding.

People in Kashechewan are flown out every spring, to the point it’s known as “evacuation season,” but this year Fort Albany is also flying some of its 700 citizens to hotels in Mississauga beginning on Friday. Fort Albany Chief Elizabeth Kataquapit took questions about the evacuation in an online town hall this week, but did not address the question of relocation and has not made herself available to speak with CBC for several months.

In February, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told CBC that plans to move Kashechewan were stalled because the First Nation had not chosen where it wants to move to.

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“When Kashechewan determines for themselves where they want to be relocated, the government is fully committed to support those costs,” she told CBC Sudbury.  “That is a difficult conversation for the community. I know there are a number of political dynamics at play. I know this work they are doing. And we stand by ready to assist when they have determined what they would like to proceed on.”

Chief Wesley says that is not true. While years ago there was some debate about where Kashechewan would move to, it settled years ago on a spot 30 km north of the current community along the Albany River known as Site 5. 

Asked for clarification this week, Indigenous Services Canada provided the following statement: “We remain committed to the relocation efforts of Kashechewan as they face regular flooding events and annual evacuations that disrupts their lives,” the statement attributed to Minister Hajdu reads.  “Indigenous Services Canada officials are continuing to work directly with Chief and Council of both Kashechewan and Fort Albany to move these plans forward and ensure there is full agreement on the path forward.”

The statement does not address the question of why the government would be requiring Fort Albany to give its consent before Kashechewan can be relocated. One likely reason is that Kashechewan and Fort Albany were once one community, located on an island in the middle of the Albany River, before splitting along religious lines in the 1950s and building two separate First Nations on opposite shores.

However, in the eyes of the federal government, they continue to share a reserve, known legally as Fort Albany 67.  

This was addressed by Indigenous-Crown Relations Minister Marc Miller during a tour of northern Ontario in January, while making it clear that Indigenous Services is the main ministry handling the Kashechewan relocation file. “The sort of legal relationship that has been imposed on these communities is one that Canada has levelled on Kashechewan and Fort Albany,” Miller told CBC.  “It’s work that we need to get both communities together and make sure that we’re not compromising a community like Kashechewan just because there’s a legal technicality.”

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Chief Wesley says if this drags on much longer, he will look at “killing the relocation” and start planning to rebuild the community in its current location. “We don’t want to waste any more time trying to get Fort Albany leadership to work with us,” he said, thinking that July would be a good deadline before shifting focus from relocation to rebuilding. This has come up before in the long-running debate about moving Kashechewan. 

In 2006, the federal Liberal government committed $500 million to moving the community to higher ground. But soon after, the Conservatives came to power and found that plan too expensive. The following year, they instead promised to spend $200 million rebuilding Kashechewan in its current location. Although, the First Nation says most of that money ended up being spent on evacuations during flood season.

Wesley says rebuilding would include major improvements to the dike system that encircles the community and would probably cost just as much as moving to a new location, now likely in the range of $1 billion. 

“There’s quite a number of people in the community who are starting to build anger,” Wesley said.  “We shouldn’t be waiting any longer. If the government recognizes that the people are at risk, then there shouldn’t be any jurisdictional issue.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erik White , Journalist

Erik White is a CBC journalist based in Sudbury. He covers a wide range of stories about northern Ontario. Connect with him on Twitter @erikjwhite. Send story ideas to erik.white@cbc.ca