This is such an important question. I've spoken to communities recently that have experienced this. I am a member of Parliament who comes from Thunder Bay—Superior North, and my colleague is also from northern Ontario. Many larger northern urban centres host people who are evacuated as a result, largely, of forest fires in our area, but sometimes flooding.
This is a very traumatic experience. People are sometimes staged in terms of the way they are removed from their community. For example, elders or moms and children might leave first, leaving capable men behind to help with the next stage. People leave their animals behind. There are often challenges with feeding animals. There are all the things you can imagine. Worrying about what's happening to the contents of your house and your day-to-day life in your own community is always very stressful.
Then, sadly—and this is extremely excruciating to listen to and watch as an ally and an advocate—people experience oftentimes extreme racism in the communities to which they are moved.
All of that results in an enormous amount of trauma. Sometimes people are out of their homes for weeks; sometimes it's for years, depending on the severity of the damage to the community.
Of course, all of that is extremely disruptive. The Indigenous Services team has trauma-informed counsellors. We also have some new programs that involve training indigenous first responders, mental health first responders, and coordinators and system navigators, which is starting to show some promise in terms of helping people. Nonetheless, even with supports it can be incredibly damaging for communities and for families and individuals.