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The provincial government is being asked to support the construction of a fire hall on the Pikangikum First Nation.
Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa says cold weather caused mechanical issues with both of the remote first nation’s fire trucks and they were unable to respond to the fatal fire.
“This government needs to commit to a fire hall for Pikangikum so that this does not happen again,” Mamakwa told the Ontario Legislature Monday morning during Question Period.
Indigenous Affairs minister Greg Rickford is committing to work with the federal government to ensure fire halls can be built.
“We can’t do this in every single community without the full cooperation of the federal government and I think we acknowledge here today fire response, the capacity on reserve, is something that remains a challenge for the federal government. The provincial government will continue to work with our federal partners and at the community level to make sure there is no red tape and that we have an ability to support fire response to prevent these tragedies.”
Last week, one person died, and two other are unaccounted for in a fire in the Pikangikum First Nation.