Kashechewan First Nation to evacuate residents after water plant failure

Chief Hosea Wesley declared a state of local emergency after failures at Kashechewan’s water treatment plant, and leaders say they plan to evacuate residents in the coming days; technicians are on site and bottled water shipments are being delivered.

Kashechewan First Nation, on Ontario’s James Bay coast, plans to evacuate residents in the coming days after its water treatment plant experienced multiple failures. Chief Hosea Wesley declared a state of local emergency on Jan. 4 because of the plant problems. Technicians from Northern Waterworks have arrived to attempt repairs, but officials said parts are hard to obtain. The community of about 2,300 people has been relying on bottled water and water from the Albany River or melted snow, and an influenza outbreak has been reported as worsened by limited running water. Current facts: - A state of local emergency was declared on Jan. 4 due to failures at the water treatment plant. - Leaders say an evacuation of residents is planned in the coming days. - Technicians from Northern Waterworks are on site, but repairs are constrained by availability of parts; bottled water shipments are being flown in. - Kashechewan received $1.7 million from Indigenous Services Canada in March 2025 for plant upgrades, and long-term relocation plans for the flood-prone community remain unclear. Summary: The immediate impact is disrupted access to running water and related health concerns for the community. Officials say evacuation is planned while repair efforts continue, but the timeline for restoring normal water service is undetermined at this time.