New chief of flood-prone northern Ontario First Nation asks for patience with long-delayed relocation

The new chief of KashechewanFirst Nation says he ran for office to make sure the flood-prone northern Ontario community can finally move to higher ground.

Hosea Wesley previously served six years as deputy chief of the Cree community on the James Bay Coast and was in that position in 2019 when an agreement was reached with the federal government to move Kashechewanwithin 10 years.

"Just to try to help anyway I can for the community," he said.

"Some people have doubts regarding relocation, starting to feel like it's not going to happen.You just have to be positive and these things take time to address."

The agreement would see the community of about 2,000 people moved 30 km to the north to a spot along the Albany River known as "Site 5."

Michael O'Byrne, theregional director general with Indigenous Services Canada, says staff have been hired to work on this project and the planning process is moving forward.

"But I can understand why people would wonder. It's a big project, there's a lot of moving parts and it's not like one day the community is in one place and then it moves to the other. These things always seem to take longer than planned," he said.

"We take the lead from the First Nations and go at their pace."

Last year,it was revealed that the neighbouring Fort Albany First Nation is now involved in the relocation talks, which the previous chief of Kashechewan feared was going to lead to further deals.

Fort Albany and Kashechewan were one community until the 1950s, when they moved to opposite sides of the Albany River.

But the two First Nations continue to share the same reserve territory, so adding Site 5 to the reserve would need to involve Fort Albany, as well as the Ontario government which oversees Crown land.

Fort Albany Chief Elizabeth Kataquapit couldn't be reached for comment, but she told CBC last year that her First Nation had been "treated unfairly" by not being included in the relocation agreement back in 2019.

"All decisions regarding the land need to be taken collectively," she said in 2023.

O'Byrne says a big project like this is "complicated and things come up that have to be addressed," but did say that completing the relocation before 2029 might be unlikely.

"I would say it would be a challenge, but we haven't changed the date," he said.

The federal government says there are no estimates yet on how much it will cost to relocate Kashechewan, including dozens of houses, schools, arena, businesses and other buildings.

In 2006, the Liberal government under Prime Minister Paul Martincommitted to spending $500 million to move Kashechewan, but those plans were scrapped when the Conservatives came to power.

"These processes will take a while. We all know that. It will take a while to get these approvals," said Chief Wesley.

"At the end of the day it will be worth it."