Fire-ravaged First Nations community accuses Ottawa of denying it federal aid

A lawyer representing a small Ontario First Nations community that was burned to the ground by a raging wildfire says it’s being deprived of necessary help because the federal government doesn’t recognize it as a First Nation.

Residents of Collins First Nation, located some 200 kilometres from Thunder Bay, were forced to self-evacuate earlier this week in advance of fast-moving fires.

Their lawyer Meaghan Daniel wrote a letter to Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty calling on her department to treat the First Nation the same as any other community and to provide it with emergency, recovery and reconstruction supports available to recognized communities under the Indian Act.

Residents of Collins are recognized as First Nations under the Indian Act but the community itself is not, despite its leaders pressing Ottawa for such recognition for decades.

Daniel says the First Nation does not have the luxury of waiting while jurisdictional and administrative questions are sorted out.

She says every day that passes without clarity affects decisions about housing, infrastructure, governance and the future of the entire community.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2026.

By Alessia Passafiume | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.