Ontario First Nations sue federal government over fire protection services funding – CBC

Oct 03, 2024

Sandy Lake First Nation among plaintiffs in case, which alleges underfunding of fire services

Two Ontario First Nations, including one in northwestern Ontario, are suing the federal government over what they allege is underfunding of fire protection services in First Nation communities.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Friday. The plaintiffs — northwestern Ontario’s Sandy Lake First Nation, and Oneida Nation of the Thames, which is located near London — say underfunding has resulted in a disproportionate number of Indigenous people dying in house fires.

“Right now, people living on-reserve in Ontario are 10 times more likely to die in a fire than people living off-reserve,” said Krista Nerland, an associate with Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, the firm representing the First Nations.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/sandy-lake-first-nation-lawsuit-1.7339160