Impact of wildfire on Fort McMurray Indigenous communities to be studied

The Red Cross is funding a study into the impact of May's wildfire on Fort McMurray'sIndigenous communities.

The wildfire has made life more difficult for peoplealreadystruggling with poverty, addiction, and trauma fromthe legacy of residential school abuse, sayFirst Nations andMtisleaders.

"This was the straw that broke the camel's back," Brian Fayant, vice-president of the Fort McMurray's Nistawoyou Friendship Centre said."People have deep-seated issues they need to address."

People are dealingwith elevated stress, homes that have been destroyed, and trap lines that disappeared along with the forest, he said.

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The $500,000 study will examine a wide range of topics including the need for targeted mental health services, the impact of the fire onbusinesses, hunting andtrapping, and harvesting oftraditional food sources.

"Some of the trappers have lost their cabins. The other thing is what happened to the animals and the berry patches where they would have harvested for the summer and the fall," Fayant said.

Indigenous groups support study

The project is overseen by the AthabascaTribal Council and its partners. In total, 12Indigenous communities and organizations are supporting the study. Individual community reports will be produced along with one regional study.

Mikisew Cree First Nation elder Hilda Lepine hopes the study identifies the needs of people like her who lost their homes in the fire and didn't have any insurance.

"I was so proud of my home. It was something that I worked for and finally had something to call my own."

Lepine said she doesn't just need help rebuilding, but replacing equipment her family used to gather traditional food.

"My son lost all his hunting gear. He's the one that provided me with the traditional food."

The Fort McMurray Mtis local office lost its building in the May wildfire along with documents and membership database.

"The organization suffered a huge loss because this was a meeting place. A lot of Mtis gatherings happened on this land," said Dan Stuckless, Fort McMurray Mtis general manager.

The study will also help Indigenous groups assemble memberships lists that some lost and others didn't have before the fire.