After a nearly two-month stay in Thunder Bay, evacuees from Kashechewan First Nation have started to return home.
Roughly 200 community members had to come to Thunder Bay while repairs were being done to the community’s water treatment plant.
The community reported issues at the plant on December 4.
The system got clogged leading to contamination in the water being produced.
A boil water advisory was put in place as a response.
There were also issues with the water distribution system.
Water was sent to the community, but concerns for babies and elders with health conditions led to the evacuation.
“The safety and well-being of evacuees have been our top priority throughout this process,” said Thunder Bay Fire Chief Dave Paxton. “Despite the challenges of organizing an evacuation over the holiday season, we worked closely with our partners so community members could get the help they needed. We have a good, long-standing relationship with Kashechewan First Nation, and we did our best to make their stay here as comfortable as possible.”
Replacement parts for the plant had to be sourced from overseas delaying the resident’s return home.
As of Thursday 108 evacuees remained in Thunder Bay.
Two return flights are planned for Thursday and a final flight is tentatively scheduled for Friday or Saturday.
Twenty residents are staying in Thunder Bay as their homes are currently uninhabitable due to frozen water pipes.
Work is underway to fix the damage and steps have been taken to ensure the remaining Kashechewan residents have a place to stay and meals.
