THUNDER BAY — First Nations leaders are calling on the City of Thunder Bay to declare a state of emergency as extreme cold puts homeless people at serious risk.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon sent a letter to Mayor Ken Boshcoff urging immediate action. With temperatures expected to drop below –30 C and wind chills near –45, they warn people are being forced to sleep outside in dangerous conditions.
“People are dying in the streets, in parks, and in bus shelters,” the leaders wrote. “This crisis has gone on long enough.”
The letter was posted Friday as the city announced it was activating its severe weather plan. However, the leaders say that is not enough and that declaring an emergency is needed to access provincial and federal support.
Fiddler and Solomon say they are ready to work with the city but stress it must first ask for help. “The lives of many of our people are at stake,” they wrote.
The call comes after Fiddler attended the funeral of Kenina Thomas, who died earlier this month in a Thunder Bay bus shelter. Fiddler said many people in the city are living day to day without safe housing and need better support to stay warm and safe.
