Nearly 300 members of the Poplar Hill First Nation are in Thunder Bay and surrounding communities due to the threat of the 350-hectare forest fire (RED065).
The fire began on July 5 and is burning 10 kilometres west of the community.
“We have been in discussions with Dr. Janet DeMille, Medical Officer of Health, as it relates to the arrival and hosting of additional people within the city during the pandemic,” said Mayor Bill Mauro. “Dr. DeMille has advised there are no active COVID-19 cases in Poplar Hill and vaccinations have been rolled out within the community.”
The Municipal Emergency Control Group met Sunday morning to prepare for this step.
The city is also expecting 101 of Deer Lake First Nation’s most vulnerable people to arrive this afternoon.
That community is under threat from Red Lake #51, a forest fire 27,549 hectares in size burning just 15 kilometres away from it. The fire is half as large as the city of Thunder Bay’s official border.
The remaining vulnerable population, approximately 350 people, will be evacuated to other communities in the province.
Meetings will continue to meet to make necessary arrangements and Mauro indicated that Thunder Bay will access funding from other levels of government to cover the costs of being a host community.
