The Deputy Leader for Ontario’s NDP says the premier must not ignore Indigenous and northern communities facing natural disasters like flooding and wildfires.
The comments by Sol Mamakwa come after the recent Auditor General’s report outlined how the Ford government was not doing enough to help municipalities with disaster planning and coordinating timely responses to natural disasters.
Mamakwa says every year, communities in his riding of Kiiwetinoong evacuate because of threatening fires and the Auditor found that it took up to 11 hours to coordinate a response.
The critic for Indigenous and Treaty Relations stresses this is unacceptable.
Mamakwa is calling on the government to improve forest fire responsiveness and planning for communities and First Nations in the north.
