Thunder Bay city officials are not prepared to host a group of Deer Lake residents currently in southern Ontario.
A report from City Manager Norm Gale says they are turning down a request to welcome 470 people who were airlifted to Cornwall because of a threatening forest fire.
It recommends City Council endorse the Municipal Emergency Control Group’s decision to reject the request from the province.
He says the transfer would not be an emergency evacuation, and the city is not in a position to accept any more evacuees right now.
Gale adds local facilities, the Regional Hospital, city resources and emergency services are already stretched or at their limit.
Right now, there are around 1,170 forest fire evacuees already in Thunder Bay from the Poplar Hill, Deer Lake, and Pikangikum First Nations.
