Photo courtesy of: https://www.jefflealformayor.ca/
As evacuees of wildfire-threatened Sandy Lake First Nation settled in at Trent University, Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal says it’s yet another example of communities stepping up to help one another in times of crisis.
Close to 300 Sandy Lake residents arrived at the Peterborough Airport June 10th and were then bused to Trent, the host site for their stay. At the heart of the operation was The Loomex Group, a locally-based emergency management services provider.
Mayor Leal says when flood waters overtook Peterborough in July 2004, and more recently, when the March ice storm ravaged the city, many communities stepped up to assist local residents. The taking in of Sandy Lake residents, he says, is a matter of returning such kindness.
Mayor Leal says it’s anyone’s guess how long Sandy Lake residents will be housed in the city.
In the meantime, Mayor Leal says local residents can help ease evacuees’ burden.
Back in 2009, when he was MPP, Mayor Leal visited Sandy Lake, noting the only access in, and out, of the remote community was a gravel runway.
(Written by: Paul Rellinger with files from Jordan Mercier)
