THUNDER BAY - City council wants to play a more integral role when it comes to decisions on hosting evacuees from remote First Nation communities, particularly when the city is not in a position to do so.
On Monday night, city council passed a resolution asking the Municipal Emergency Control Group to report back to council when it is the position of the MECG that the city is unable to host evacuees.
This year the city of Thunder Bay, along with other communities across the north, was unable to host evacuees from remote First Nation communities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In normal times we would be welcoming evacuees and responding to requests by saying yes,” said Mark Smith, general manager of development and emergency services with the city of Thunder Bay.
“This year, because of a variety of factors, the pandemic most notably, we felt we were not in a position to receive evacuees.”
The report submitted to council states that hosting evacuees has become a predictable annual request, with many northern communities experiencing spring flooding or threats from forest fires in the summer.
“Typically, there is some lead-time between requests being made of the City and when evacuees need to be hosted, but that is certainly not always the case,” the report reads.
“It is typically the Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC) who collects and provides information about things like hotel room availability, the City’s ability to offer community services, police support, and EMS availability.”
The city not being able to host evacuees this year is the first time in recent history when initial enquiries regarding being a host community were denied.
“It is Administration’s position that it is not practical to seek direction from Council each time an enquiry regarding the hosting of evacuees is received; this is due to the frequency of enquiries, their often preliminary nature, and the degree to which responses must be provided in a timely manner,” the report states.
“There might be some cases where the MECG has to make quick decisions and council cannot be reported to for direction. Is that correct?” asked Coun. Mark Bentz, to which Smith agreed.
The recommendation states the MECG is not able to engage council in the annual flow of information in spring and early summer on the city’s ability to host evacuees, but in cases when such requests are denied, the MECG should report to council for direction.
“We were hearing it sometime after the decision,” Bentz said. “I appreciate the recommendation coming back and I support it.”
Council passed the recommendation unanimously.
