Ont. government still concerned about Kashechewan despite chief's OK

Chief Jonathan Solomon declared the emergency situation over on Tuesday afternoon and the community's infrastructure is back up and running, said Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources spokesman Barry Radford.

But the province is still concerned that water levels could still rise dangerously but is letting the community make its own decisions, based on the traditional knowledge of Kashechewan elders, Radford said.

"We're concerned with the volume of water that's really still there," he said. "But we bow to their experience having lived on that shore (of James Bay) for as long as they have; it's their call."

Elders have been forecasting floods and threats to their community for "forever and ever basically," long before governments got involved in rescue efforts, said regional Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Stan Louttit, who represents seven northern First Nations including Kashechewan.

Community leaders do use some scientific tools to gauge water levels and flows but rely heavily on the experiences of elders who have seen it all before, Louttit said.

"Of course, back then there was no governmental assistance," he said. "There was no helicopters. There was no airstrips, so everybody basically had to fend for themselves."

He said his mother would tell him stories about how the community would move to higher ground just before they expected the area to flood and would construct "stages" where they would erect their tents and wait out the weather.

"When the waters did subside after the spring thawed, they would come back to their community and do whatever clean-up they had to do and then continue on," he said.

A "minor" threat to the community still exists but the elders have indicated that they believe it's safe for hundreds of evacuees to return home.

"I think the major threat of water coming over the banks is pretty well not going to happen," Louttit said.

Kashechewan has been flooded and evacuated four times since 2004. This year's evacuation began on Friday before being halted Tuesday.

Meanwhile, about 90 Fort Albany residents are settling into Thunder Bay, Ont., after being flown there Tuesday evening.

It's hoped they can return home in a couple days, Radford said.

The government is most concerned about the Attawapiskat First Nation, which is located further north up the James Bay coast. That community is just beginning to feel the impact of flooding and officials are waiting to hear what help the community might need, Radford said.