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Ontario First Nation residents take shelter in Toronto-area amid wildfires

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On benches outside a hotel near Toronto Pearson International Airport sits members of Deer Lake First Nation.

“We don’t know when we’ll be going home,” said Don Meekis, who has been staying in the Toronto-area since the end of May when his wildfire-stricken community was given evacuation notice.

“First couple of days was hard, but after a while it started getting easier. … Lots of help coming around.”

He is one of thousands of residents from Northern Ontario who have been forced to flee their homes due to the wildfires.


Deer Lake First Nation resident Don Meekis has been staying at a GTA hotel since having to flee wildfires back home.


Megan King / Global News

“I saw there was flames, 50-foot flames close to our homes,” Meekis recalled. “So many communities close by are getting evacuated too.”

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According to the Canadian Red Cross, its services were requested.

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“At the request of ISN Maskwa, the Canadian Red Cross is providing support to individuals from Deer Lake First Nation which includes registration, reception and information, and personal services,” a spokesperson told Global News.

Meekis said that everybody is chipping in and keeping in high spirits, although, the rushed evacuations meant no time to prepare or even grab spare clothes.

“I need a new pair of shoes,” he said. “Size 10.”

He’s been wearing the same pair of Croc clogs that he left home in since May 30.

Additionally, many members of the fly-in community had no choice but to leave pets behind.

“They told us three to four weeks when they told us we were getting evacuated,” Meekis said. “Now, we don’t know what’s happening because that fire is still not under control. It’s still pretty much active.”

Dietary restrictions have been difficult for many evacuees, and not having access to personal kitchens has people missing simple pleasures — including homemade bannock.

Luckily, a hotel chef has done their best to take suggestions during mealtimes.


Sol Mamakwa is the MPP for Kiiwetinoong and wants to see more capacity built to fight the wildfires.


Isaac Callan / Global News

“Perhaps if we had more capacity, more infrastructure to be able to fight these forest fires, we could have perhaps avoided this,” said Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa.

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He believes building capacity should be a priority in tackling the growing wildfire concern.


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Jagmeet Singh apologizes for attending Kendrick Lamar concert after Drake calls him out

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Jagmeet Singh has issued an apology on social media for attending a Kendrick Lamar concert in Toronto over the weekend after receiving sharp criticism from fans and rapper Drake.

Singh, the former federal NDP leader, was spotted inside the Rogers Centre during one of Lamar’s back-to-back Toronto shows, part of the Grand National Tour with SZA. It’s not clear what show he attended, but photos of Singh at the event quickly began circulating online, drawing attention to his controversial attendance.

Drake publicly weighed in on Singh’s decision by posting a screenshot of an Instagram message he sent to Singh, saying, “You’re a goof.”


Drake calls out former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh for attending a Kendrick Lamar concert.


Drake/ Instagram Screengrab

Singh responded publicly just hours later, explaining himself in an Instagram story. “I went for SZA, not Kendrick,” Singh wrote. “I was born in this city. I love this city. But real talk, I get it. I shouldn’t have gone at all.”

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Former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh apologized after Drake called him out for attending a Kendrick Lamar concert in Toronto, amid an ongoing feud between the two rappers.


Jagmeet Singh / Instagram Screenshot

The apology comes amid heightened tensions in the hip-hop world.

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Lamar’s Toronto shows were his first in the city since a highly publicized feud between the two rappers.

One of the most viral moments from the concerts came during Lamar’s performance of Not Like Us, a diss track aimed at Drake. The song earned a standing ovation and chants of “one more time” from the crowd.

Despite the response, the track has sparked legal action from Drake, who is suing Universal Music Group, which represents both Lamar and SZA, claiming the song falsely portrays him as a pedophile and has endangered his safety.

None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been tested in court.

In his statement, Singh made it clear he didn’t intend to take sides but acknowledged his stance over social media.

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“OVO and Drake have lifted this city and Canada,” Singh said. “For me, it’ll always be Drake over Kendrick.”

– With files from the Canadian Press


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Police in Ontario town find car tied to fatal hit and run set ablaze

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Police in Hanover, Ont., have released an image of a “destroyed” vehicle which they say had been set on fire shortly after a fatal hit and run in the small Ontario community last week.

On Wednesday at around 5:20 p.m., police said emergency services were dispatched to the entrance to Hanover Park after a hit-and-run collision involving a pedestrian had been reported.

Police said 66-year-old Hanover resident Sheila Lamont was crossing the street when she was hit by a vehicle, which fled the scene at a high rate of speed.

Lamont was transported to an area hospital by paramedics where she later died due to her injuries.

“Shortly before the collision it was determined the suspect vehicle had travelled along Concession 2 SDR in the former Brant Township, also known as Southline,” a release from police read.

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“The vehicle went northbound past the Hanover and District Hospital onto 7th Avenue driving in an erratic manner before striking the pedestrian at the Hanover Park. After the collision, the suspect vehicle continued northbound on Bruce County Road 10, turning westbound on Concession 4 in the former Brant Township.”

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Two days later, Hanover police chief posted a picture of a burnt-up 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser on X, saying that further details were to follow.

Deputy Chief George Hebblethwaite told Global News on Monday morning that a tip had led them to find the destroyed vehicle in the brush near Morry’s Trailer Sales on Sideroad 25.

“We were speaking with someone who we had been given the name of, and that person turned out to have some information which led us to the car,” he said.

Police believe the fire occurred within a couple of hours of the initial crash and that the vehicle has been examined by OPP forensic officers.

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In a release on Sunday police said that “the registered owner of the PT Cruiser has been interviewed and is cooperating fully with the investigation. Although this person was the registered owner, they never had care or control of the vehicle since it was purchased.”

Hebblethwaite also told Global News that police expect to make an arrest on Monday in connection with the case.

There is a person that we are seeking,” he explained, adding they expect to make an announcement Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.

Hanover is a town of around 8,000 people in Grey County about 100 kilometres north of Kitchener.


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OPP offering $50K reward in effort to revive 17-year-old cold case

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Ontario Provincial Police say a $50,000 reward is being offered for information that can help solve a 2008 cold case murder in the Belleville area.

Calvin Vanness, 65, was last seen in Belleville on March 26, 2008, driving a grey 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix with flames painted on the side.

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Police say his car was found on April 1, 2008, in a commuter parking lot on Highway 38 in Kingston and investigators believe someone else was driving the vehicle for some of that time.

The OPP and Belleville police have been investigating Vanness’s disappearance as a homicide since April 2010, and they believe someone has information that will help determine what happened to him.

Police say the Ontario government is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

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Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the OPP.


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