ISC minister, chief of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation meet to discuss rebuild

A recent meeting between Namaygoosisagagun First Nation (Collins Lake) and the minister of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) left the chief with questions. “What are we rebuilding?” Helen Paavola told APTN News of the Sept. 29 meeting with Minister Mandy Gull-Masty. “And that is a good question. What are we rebuilding? Are we just going back to what our community was? How many structures? So, they’re very good questions.” In July, community members barely escaped with their lives after a wildfire swept in. People escaped in boats and posted dramatic photos on social media of their flight. Namaygoosisagagun isn’t under the Indian Act, so unlike other First Nations, the millions needed to rebuild wasn’t guaranteed. The community has been negotiating its status with the federal government since 2018. Gull-Masty told APTN that Ottawa will help – but the community needs to come up with some answers. “What kind of support does she need? How do you work with your members to define how that rebuild is going to look like? And, most importantly, how do you support them through also living through a very traumatic experience of losing the community?” Gull-Masty said. The summer of 2026 saw some of the worst wildfires in recorded history. A number of communities in northern Ontario had to evacuate because of oncoming flames and smoke. Read More:  First Nations stuck in ‘spiralling cycle’ during wildfires: federal housing advocate  Namaygoosisagagun is located on the northern edge of Collins Lake, about 250 km north of Thunder Bay. People from the community are still not home – but did go back to see what was left. “They went up to clean the community; they did some cutting, clearing some fallen trees,” Paavola said. “We had ordered six huge prospector tents that they set up for us.” The tents are for members who want to go back. “We are planning a trip to go home. How long we stay there, we’re not sure yet,” she said. “Because, we are taking our Elders up there and we’ll see how safe it is for them. And, even the rest of us… we want to go home. And we know how that looks right now, you know, but… but still, to be on the land, to be near our lake, you know, I think that’s going to help us to heal.” Paavola said her members have been doing their best to cope with the situation, often coping with depression and loneliness. She said they’re looking forward to going home. “It sounds like there’s a whole bunch of us going back,” she said. “It’s going to be a big party.” Continue Reading