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Wabaseemoong First Nation

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Wabaseemoong On Standby For Evacuation

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The Wabaseemoong First Nation is on standby for evacuation because of a wildfire.

Kenora Fire #51 is now listed at over 171 thousand hectares in size.

The chief of the First Nation, Waylon Scott says fire could jump the lake by Tuesday.

The MNRF Says the blaze is about 20 kilometres north of the community and smoke from the forest fire is flowing into Kenora and the surrounding areas.

Chief Scott says they will have 12 to 24 hours for a grace period to fully evacuate the community.

There are four new fires in the region today and 110 active forest fires.

The MNRF says it’s continuing to fight Kenora Fire #51…

  • Helicopters with buckets and water bombing airplanes are being used to slow the fire.
  • Ignition crews are ready to bring the fire to natural boundaries when the weather is favorable and bulldozer lines may be used to further access and contain the fire.
  • Fire guard has been completed on south end.
  • Crews working to protect community values and critical infrastructure.
  • An Incident Management Team is established on the fire.
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Isolation Centers Being Set Up In The Kenora Area

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The provincial government is helping to fund isolations centers in the Kenora area to deal with outbreaks of COVID-19 in a couple of
first nation communities.

Yesterday, there were 38 new positive cases yesterday.

Greg Rickford is the Indigenous Affairs Minister and says they are working to keep everyone safe.

“We’ve had a good relationship with the Kenora Chiefs Advisory and the Northwest Health Unit and my Ministry is leading a coordinated incident management response in an effort to provide additional isolation facilities…mobilize rapid testing,” says Rickford.

“We’re mobilizing the facility out on the Muriel Lake Road and we’re taking a look at some other options. I spoke with Waylon, chief Scott yesterday and he and I agreed that isolation capacity was quite limited.”

Many of the new cases are on the Wabaseemoong First Nation northwest of Kenora, but there are two cases on the Northwest Angle #33 First Nation.

Medical offer of Health Dr Kit Young Hoon says it’s important that we not let our guard down

“We have seen a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 positive test results in the Kenora region since early January”, says Young Hoon,

“Most of the cases appear to be linked to a small number of social circles who tend to gather together.

However with such a large number of cases, things can change rapidly and Kenora area residents must follow public health restrictions to prevent broad spread of the virus.”