ManitobaFour First Nations in Manitoba are calling on the federal government to make wildfire prevention a priority as Island Lake communities remain under states of emergency and mandatory evacuation orders.Federal government’s emergency system ‘a cycle of failure’: Anisininew Okimawin Grand Chief Alex McDougall CBC News · Posted: Aug 08, 2025 1:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoLeaders representing four Island Lake First Nations — Garden Hill Anisininew Nation, Red Sucker Lake Anisininew Nation, St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation and Wasagamack Anisininew Nation — are demanding the federal government do more for wildfire prevention – including fund infrastructure projects that improve wildfire resilience. (Gavin Axelrod/CBC)Four First Nations in Manitoba are calling on the federal government to make wildfire prevention a priority as Island Lake communities remain under states of emergency and mandatory evacuation orders.At a Friday press conference in Winnipeg, Anisininew Okimawin Grand Chief Alex McDougall said the First Nations he represents — Garden Hill Anisininew Nation, Red Sucker Lake Anisininew Nation, St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation and Wasagamack Anisininew Nation — are located in remote, fire prone areas yet lack the infrastructure needed to prevent wildfires. “This is not an emergency system, this is a cycle of failure. Our chiefs in Anisininew Nations are saying to Canada: ‘the cycle ends now,'” McDougall said. An independent report from Canada’s Auditor General found that Indigenous Services Canada did not provide First Nations with the support needed to manage wildfires, focusing on reacting as opposed to preventing emergencies.The department spent about 3.5 times more on wildfire response recovery compared to prevention between 2009 and 2022, according to the auditor general’s report. The First Nations want to see that change.Leaders issued five calls to action to the federal government on Friday: Prioritize prevention by investing in community-led fire breaks and suppression teams; Immediately approve and fund infrastructure projects that improve wildfire resilience; Build an Island Lake road to reduce reliance on airlifts during evacuations in the four remote fly-in communities, located about 475 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg; Develop a national Indigenous fire strategy; Respect Anisininew leadership. CBC News has reached out to Indigenous Services Canada for comment.
Island Lake Chiefs say Canada must invest in First Nations wildfire prevention
