Cat Lake chief proposes First Nations-led wildfire authority

By Mike Stimpson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, SNnewswatch.com CAT LAKE — Wildfire evacuees having returned to Cat Lake, the fly-in First Nation’s chief has ideas on how future fire seasons could be handled better. Chief Russell Wesley released a press statement Thursday saying this year’s “catastrophic fires” in northern Ontario “are a warning that the current approach to forest management, emergency preparedness and climate adaptation is not sufficient.” Wesley told Newswatch he released the statement — which includes an action plan for the provincial and federal governments — partly out of “frustration with the With the Cat Lake experience, but also because as a chief, I have to represent the greater public as well.” An audit of this year’s wildland fire management will take too long when there are actions