Chief Jason Gauthier of the Missanabie Cree is calling on Ottawa to take immediate action as his community offers vital support to Kashechewan amid a major infrastructure failure

The Missanabie Cree First Nation is offering support to its sister First Nation Kashechewan during their water crisis.

“On behalf of the Missanabie Cree members, elders and business network, we support Kashechewan First Nation in its water plant failure crisis response, and urge the federal government to fix this essential infrastructure once and for all!” says Chief Jason Gauthier in a news release.

Missanabie Cree has hosted Kashechewan in prior evacuations related mostly to the annual flooding threat it faces due to its relocation to the Albany River flood plain by the government of Canada decades ago.

MCFN and Kashechewan have partnered to train and develop its own emergency response company; Creemergency, which was subcontracted in 2024 and 2025 to host its community members in Kapuskasing.

For more information, see the press release below. 

Missanabie Cree has innovated First Nation led Emergency Response services and wants to support its sister First Nation Kashechewan during their water crisis.

“On behalf of the Missanabie Cree members, elders and business network, we support Kashechewan First Nation in its water plant failure crisis response, and urge the federal government to fix this essential infrastructure once and for all!” – Chief Jason Gauthier.

Missanabie Cree has hosted Kashechewan in prior evacuations related mostly to the annual flooding threat it faces due to its relocation to the Albany River flood plain by the government of Canada decades ago. MCFN has developed its hosting services in 2019 with offering the Islandview Camp to communities in crisis, and has expanded into a complete wrap around emergency response service juggernaut, with over 30 evacuations and supporting 10,000 evacuees in the past 6 years, and the construction of Canada’s first ever Emergency Evacuation Center in the Missanabie homeland (opening Spring 2026).

MCFN has partnered with Kashechewan to train and develop its own emergency response company; Creemergency, which was subcontracted in 2024 and 2025 to host its community members in Kapuskasing. MCFN also contracted the company to host fire evacuees last spring when the unprecedented wildfires in Northern Manitoba spread into Northwestern Ontario, displacing nearly 5000 First Nation members for over 12 weeks.

“Ontario Chiefs have long demanded a First Nation helping First Nation approach to emergency response. Missanabie Cree was the first to come forward to innovate that concept into boots on the ground services that are rapidly becoming the standard across the country. ” Says Chief Gauthier. “Kashechewan has aspired to emulate our approach and we support them in their endeavors.”