This week the provincial government reported it had evacuated 27,000 people from their homes due to wildfires across B.C., largely on account of those in the Okanagan and Shuswap Lake region.
Add to that the Westbank First Nation near West Kelowna, where Statistics Canada says only 948 residents live on reserve land out of a population of 10,660, and that number is likely much higher. While that First Nations communities are 18 times more likely to be evacuated due to disasters compared to non-Indigenous communities, many reserves were created with just one road in and one road out, Yumagulova said.
Some of the projects were aimed at preventing or reducing the impact of emergencies. They included reducing the intensity and spread of wildfires by removing branches and trees, or building culverts and dikes to prevent seasonal floods. 'Another form of forced displacement' Questions around culture and self-determination can also complicate evacuations for Indigenous people, said Yumagulova.
Premier David Eby visited the Ts̓ellétkwe Lodge with Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir this week after severe fires ripped through the Interior, displacing thousands of people.
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