Thunder Bay city officials are not prepared to host a group of Deer Lake evacuees who are currently in southern Ontario.
A memo from City Manager Norm Gale tells City Clerk Krista Power that they are turning down a request to welcome 470 people who are staying in Cornwall.
It says the Municipal Emergency Control Group decided to reject the request from the province.
He says the transfer would not be an emergency evacuation, and the city is not in a position to accept any more evacuees right now.
Gale adds that local facilities, the Regional Hospital, city resources and emergency services are already stretched or at their limit.
Right now, there are around 1170 forest fire evacuees already in Thunder Bay from the Poplar Hill, Deer Lake, and Pikangikum First Nations.
The item was on Monday night’s City Council agenda, but has been withdrawn because “the circumstances of the transfer request have changed and council direction is no
longer required.“
