Send this page to someone via email A northern Ontario First Nation has an agreement with the federal and provincial government that lays out a plan to move the reserve annually threatened by flood waters. Kashechewan First Nation, located north of Fort Albany, Ont., have had to repeatedly evacuate from flooding and infrastructure problems, including last month when a state of emergency forced more than 2,500 members to fly to other locations across the province. READ MORE: First Nations leaders call for action as Kashechewan grapples with annual flooding The First Nation has been asking for years to be relocated to higher ground. In front of 300 community members today, the federal and provincial governments signed an agreement with the First Nation to commit to moving the reserve. READ MORE: 5 dead after house fire in northwestern Ontario First Nation Story continues below advertisement Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O’Regan says the relocation process will likely take around eight years under the terms of the agreement that he hopes assures the community that it will not face flooding issues forever. NDP MP Charlie Angus, whose riding includes Kashechewan, calls the deal a very important step and says it is the result of pressure from the community who are tired of spending their springs in evacuation centres.<doc-sep>The relocation of Kashechewan First Nation is a step closer to reality Thursday. There's now a government financed plan to move the community to safer ground. Kashechewan First Nation Chief Leo Friday is in Toronto May 9 and has signed a ‘relocation implementation plan’ with the provincial and federal governments. The agreement will see the community of 2,500 moved off the Albany River flood plain to a safer area. “This agreement is about the fight to get what you want and to achieve the prize. I feel optimistic today in signing this agreement. There will be challenges, but our future generations will be able to enjoy the spirit of the land.” said Friday. Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald says the agreement shows how strong the commitment from the two governments is. “The best thing about what’s being signed today is that there is a plan. There’s an actual document that shows all the steps that are going to happen. Where as in the past, agreements have been signed, but there was never a clear plan.” said Archibald. Seamus O'Regan is the federal Indigenous services minister. "I know you may have seen an agreement before, but now we have a plan, a real plan, agreed upon by everybody here. Agreed upon by Chief Friday and his leadership team who worked so hard for you." said O'Regan. The people in Kashechewan have been evacuated to Timmins, Kapuskasing, and other communities every spring for the last few years due to flooding. The annual evacuation has been costing Ottawa $20-million each year.<doc-sep>A flood-prone northern Ontario First Nation has reached an agreement with the federal and provincial governments to move the entire community within eight to ten years — but its chief says he fears Ottawa and the province won't follow through. "It's something that I signed two times already and this is the third time. And that's why I'm scared," said Leo Friday, chief of Kashechewan First Nation. "I'm in terrible confusion right now." Kashechewan sits on the western shores of James Bay on a flood plain right beside the Albany River. More than 2,500 people are forced to fly out of the community every spring to escape rising flood waters caused by the break-up of river ice. In 2016, most members of the community voted in a referendum in favour of relocating to higher, drier ground upstream, an area known as Site 5. In 2017, the First Nation came to an agreement with the federal and provincial governments to work towards relocation, but the community grew frustrated with a lack of progress and staged rallies in April at Queen's Park and on Parliament Hill. After ten days of intense negotiations, Friday signed a revised version of the 2017 agreement today in front of 300 community members in Toronto. The agreement now includes a work plan that clarifies how the move will happen and the responsibilities of each level of government. A three-year-old evacuee from Kashechewan First Nation holds a sign during a rally April 30 in Ottawa. Funding to come "It's a great day for your children and your grandchildren because it's their future," Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon told the crowd today. "Together, there is a vision. A vision as a community, as people to live without fear and as a family, without being displaced year after year." No dollar figure has been set for the big move, but estimates suggest the cost will be between $500 million and $1 billion dollars. "A lot of that is based on community planning," federal Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O'Regan said. "Our commitment to the relocation of Kashechewan is confirmed." Money for relocation was not included in the 2019 federal and provincial budgets. O'Regan said the new commitment to relocation is as firm as anyone can make it, although the funding level is still to be determined. "It will be significant," provincial Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said. "Ontario will be there and that's what matters." The parties are working on an eight-to-ten-year timeframe, but Rickford said he believes the move can happen in as little as five years. Site 5 is the proposed location for Kashechewan's new home. (Indigenous Services Canada/Supplied) Relocation will put an end to annual evacuations that cost federal taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. Crown land still has to be transferred from the provincial government and designated as reserve land before the move can happen. Ontario is accelerating the process so a road can be built to move materials for the new community, according to O'Regan. But while all three levels of government say they have entered the new agreement in good faith, the document does not impose legally binding obligations on the parties. Déjà vu? Today's signing event had an air of déjà vu for Kashechewan residents. The community had a relocation commitment in 2005 under Paul Martin's Liberal government. That deal was scrapped when Stephen Harper's Conservatives were elected. "If we were held hostage to the four-year election cycle, we wouldn't get anything done. So you work," said federal Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O'Regan. "More often than not, those agreements are held and I have to trust that the next government will hold that as well. This is a very clear and meaningful commitment to a community that has asked for action for a long time." Friday admitted he fears another government might push the relocation plans aside. Other community leaders don't share his concern. "I'm very optimistic," Solomon said. "It would be crazy for, if another government comes in, to scrap it." Ice on the Albany River creeps up the dike meant to protect Kashechewan from flooding. (Submitted by Leo Friday ) The three levels of government will work on a plan to address short, medium and long-term challenges, such as skills development, on-reserve housing, socioeconomic sustainability, health programs and facilities, public safety, infrastructure development, remediation, operation, maintenance, schools and community facilities. They also will establish a communications strategy to make sure all community members and interested parties are kept informed on progress. In a written statement, two provincial NDP MPPs commended the community for their work in pressuring the governments to make relocation a priority. "These governments have a long overdue responsibility to move forward on the relocation of the community to higher ground," wrote NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin of Mushkegowuk-James Bay and Sol Mamakwa, NDP Indigenous relations and reconciliation critic. "Despite having signed a tripartite agreement in the past, the community has been left to wait as flood waters rose around their homes, once again. Ontario's New Democrats, the Official Opposition, call on the Ford government to stop further delays and begin working on the relocation now. The people of Kashechewan have waited long enough." The three levels of government already had a relocation steering committee in place, which will now be required to provide an annual progress report. The federal government and Kashechewan will each name two representatives to the committee; Ontario's Ministry of Indigenous Affairs will name one representative. The committee will recommend a budget for its work to the federal and provincial governments on an annual basis. Story tip? Email olivia.stefanovich@cbc.ca<doc-sep>Frustration with the federal government is mounting as Kashechewan First Nations, a northern Ontario community that routinely floods every year, declares a state of emergency and prepares to evacuate. Kashechewan is a Cree community on the James Bay coast and every spring its residents must leave temporarily to escape the floodwaters of the Albany River. About 2,500 community members were preparing to leave the reserve on April 21, but those plans have been moved up to Monday as last winter's heavy snowfall begins to melt. "We the council have declared a state of emergency. Our actions are moved by our duty to protect our people," Chief Leo Friday wrote in a Facebook post. "We have no choice but to make sure that we take every precaution to ensure their safety." Friday, on behalf of the council and local community, invited both Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O'Regan and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to visit. A spokesperson for the department of Indigenous Services said the government is in communication with the community about what to do next. "We recognize that the threat of flooding during spring breakup is an ongoing reality for communities along the James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts," said Kevin Deagle on Sunday. "We are currently working with the First Nation to monitor the threat of flooding, conduct preliminary flood mitigation work through dike repairs, and support them in the transition to host communities. ... We will continue to stay in direct communication with the community to address their needs in this challenging time." Timmins NDP MP Charlie Angus said children, young families and elders will start to leave the community on Monday and evacuations will continue the rest of the week. He said the move can be a traumatic time for the elderly, sick and for young children who are forced to move schools. Plus, there's always the fear of coming back to a devastated community, he added. "We never know until the ice jams break whether this is the catastrophic year that wipes out the community. We are playing Russian roulette with peoples' lives," said Angus. "Everybody deserves to live in a safe community." Relocation frustrations The First Nation has been waiting for Ottawa to fulfil a promise to relocate them to higher ground ever since it signed an a tripartite agreement with the federal and provincial governments. NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin, who represents Mushkegowuk—James Bay, said since then people have felt betrayed. "It's been close to three years since they signed and yet nothing has happened. It's pretty disheartening for the community to be derooted every spring. It would be unacceptable anywhere else in the province, anywhere else in Canada, to say the least," he said. "It's unacceptable." Philpott asks about Kashechewan CBC News 1:14 Independent Ontario MP Jane Philpott asks about this year's annual evacuation of Kashechewan First Nation in Northern Ontario 1:14 Bourgouin said he feels like both the provincial and federal governments are to blame for the holdup. Those feelings of frustration are echoed by the grand chief of the territory governing Kashechewan First Nation, Jonathan Solomon. "They need to stop playing politics with the lives of the people," he said. "Get serious. What is it going to take to be able to expedite the process? Is it going to take lives to be lost? Is that what they're waiting for?" Philpott questions commitments The issue was raised in the House of Commons late last week when independent MP Jane Philpott — who served in the Liberal cabinet as Indigenous Services minister and Treasury Board president before resigning in protest over the SNC-Lavalin affair — said Chief Friday called her recently to voice concerns about the risk facing his community and the resiliency of the dike protecting it. "Our country spends millions of dollars annually for evacuations and for repairing flood-damaged homes," Philpott said. "When can we expect a serious commitment to funding the relocation that the community has been asking for years? Last week, O'Regan said the government remains committed to relocation and is still working on the technical aspects of the move. "It takes a lot more time than I think we would all like," O'Regan said. "In the meantime, our officials and the community are in touch all the time to make sure that this move once again happens as seamlessly as possible."<doc-sep>
OTTAWA—A northern Ontario First Nation signed an agreement on Thursday with the federal and provincial government that lays out a plan to move a reserve threatened every year by floodwaters. Members of the Kashechewan First Nation, north of Fort Albany, Ont., have had to flee repeatedly because of flooding and infrastructure problems. Last month when a state of emergency forced more than 2,500 members to fly to other locations across the province. The First Nation has been asking for years to be relocated to higher ground. In front of 300 community members in Toronto, the federal and provincial governments signed an agreement with the First Nation that commits to moving the reserve. “Canada, Ontario, and Kashechewan First Nation have entered into this agreement in good faith, and in the spirit of reconciliation, co-operation, and mutual respect,” the agreement says. “The primary objective of the community planning and development process is to plan for the relocation of Kashechewan to higher ground.” There is now a concrete plan in place to guide the work to come, said Assembly of First Nations Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald. Opinion | Tanya Talaga: Are the spring evacuations of Kashechewan finally going to end? Kashechewan First Nation faces ‘massive trauma’ with flooding, says MP As environmental risks increase, governments consider buyouts for flood-prone properties “This was something that was missing from the last agreement,” she said. The move will likely take around eight years, Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O’Regan said following Thursday’s signing meeting, adding he hopes it will assure the community it will not face flooding forever. “Certainly the response we got from the community in that room today was, ‘OK, now we know that you guys are doing the work,’ “ O’Regan said in an interview. “I’m hoping that in those tough times when families have to relocate, and that is not easy, that at least they know that the work is being done, that this is not going to go on indefinitely.” NDP MP Charlie Angus, whose riding includes Kashechewan, called the agreement a “very important step,” adding it is the direct result of pressure from community members who are tired of spending their springs in evacuation centres. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... “Their activism forced the federal government and the province with Doug Ford to come to the table,” Angus said. “I think that this is the beginning of a better future.” Angus also said he hopes the new agreement stipulating plans to move the community will make it very difficult for the federal government and the provincial government to break their promise. The provincial government is committed to doing everything in its authority to support the relocation of Kashechewan First Nation, Ontario’s Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said, while noting the federal government has “ultimate responsibility for the relocation.” “Ontario will continue to ensure the safety of community members by working with community leaders and host communities to safely evacuate the people of Kashechewan during flood season,” Rickford said in a statement.