THUNDER BAY— Lakehead University set itself to offer short-term housing to evacuees fleeing forest fires in the region.
At least 530 evacuees affected by the 150,00-hectare blaze outside of Sandy Lake First Nation were welcomed by the university this week.
Local hotels are at capacity and the city cannot host evacuees, according to officials with Thunder Bay Fire Rescue. Instead Thunder Bay is acting as hub for evacuees destined for southern Ontario.
Denise Baxter, Vice-Provost for Indigenous Initiatives at the university said on Thursday that this is the first group of evacuees the university has seen this year, and the largest one yet.
Evacuees and family members are staying in a variety of dorms at the university, each room is set up with one or more beds, a fridge and desk, said Denise Baxter, Vice-provost indigenous initiatives.
The dorms also feature a hallway connecting them to the university’s other buildings and common areas on all floors, granting access to a tv and couches, she said.
A variety of activities around campus to keep them occupied before their flights to southern Ontario, she said.
“One of the areas that has been working with the families has been our athletics department, we have had the main gym opened up for everybody who wanted to come in and use it,” she said.
Baxter said the gym has been used to its full potential, with the evacuated community members using all aspects of it.
“Basketball, volleyball, badminton, you know, whatever they wish to play, or simply sometimes for kids to run around,” she said.
The university's Indigenous mentorship team is also extending their hands to evacuees by setting up gathering spaces for them to connect and share their stories.
“We had set up a few different places throughout the university with art supplies, books, games, things like that, so people (can) come together in community,” she said.
In addition to gathering spaces, Baxter said the evacuees are thoroughly enjoying both Thunder Bay’s cityscape and natural environment.
“Another space that's been outside that's been well utilized is the area around lake Tamblyn and our walking trails that are a part of the city network,” she said.
“People have been really I think taking advantage of the sunny weather,” she said. “It's not too hot, so it's actually nice to do some walking.”
The university currently has a student-led initiative putting together care packages for evacuees who weren’t able to carry all of their necessities from home, said Baxter.
“So (we are) getting those ready right now so that as people are leaving, they will have something to take with them,” she said.
For anyone looking to help out, the university is collecting monetary donations and sanitary items to support evacuees.
