Kashechewan FN Evacuees Feel Unwelcome in Niagara Falls
Chief Hosea Wesley says 2,000 evacuees are displaced, not homeless, after city officials discussed their presence in hotel rooms and a city action plan.
- On Monday, Kashechewan First Nation Chief Hosea Wesley protested in Niagara Falls, Ont., condemning remarks by former chief administrative officer Ken Todd suggesting First Nations evacuees are homeless.
- Kashechewan residents have lived in Niagara Falls hotels since January following a state of emergency declared after major failures of the community's water and sewage infrastructure.
- During a June 23 council meeting presentation on vulnerable populations, Todd stated residents see Indigenous people on streets and assume they are "thinking they're homeless people from this community."
- Indigenous leaders, including Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, condemned the comments, saying evacuees are "displaced, not homeless" and urging city officials to show compassion.
- Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati defended the city, arguing it is unfairly "targeted as the bad guys" and calling on senior governments to provide purpose-built facilities instead of hotels.
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16 Articles
Apology comes after controversy over comments about Indigenous evacuees in Niagara Falls
Indigenous community members and organizations say they feel targeted after comments made by a former Niagara Falls administrator and current Mayor Jim Diodati at a June 23 city council meeting about evacuees overburdening the city.
The Record
First Nations leaders reject ‘homeless’ label for Kashechewan evacuees in Niagara Falls
NIAGARA FALLS — Northern Ontario leaders say the priority should be fixing the infrastructure problems that forced Kashechewan residents to leave their homes, rather than criticizing those affected by the evacuation.
Kashechewan chief calls out Niagara Falls council following comments about evacuees
The chief of Kashechewan First Nation is protesting language used to describe evacuees from his community at a recent city council meeting in Niagara Falls, Ont., when several members referenced them as homeless. “It’s really just hard to hear,” said Chief Hosea Wesley, following a protest at city hall on Monday. “To hear somebody say that … My people, we’re not homeless, we’re just displaced because of this infrastructure wear that happened in …
‘It’s important that we are careful about how this story is told’: Indigenous leaders critical of comments made about evacuees in Niagara Falls
Some Indigenous leaders have taken exception to what they believe were disparaging comments about emergency evacuees at last week’s Niagara Falls city council meeting
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