Wildfires forced thousands of Alberta residents to temporarily leave their homes this spring, but hundreds of residents are still suffering from the effects of last year's fires and do not have homes to return to.

The Fox Lake community in northern Alberta was the most affected during last year's wildfire season, with more than 200 buildings lost, including 100 homes, a grocery store, an RCMP centre, and a water treatment plant.

Fox Lake is a remote community located on the southern side of the Peace River, about 550 kilometers north of Edmonton.

It is home to the majority of the members of the Little Red River Cree Nation. About 4,000 residents fled Fox Lake in early May of last year as the Pasquia fire approached.

Over a year later, many residents have returned to Fox Lake, but hundreds are still living elsewhere.

According to Indigenous Services Canada, which received data from the Little Red River Cree Nation, there were nearly 525 long-term evacuees from Fox Lake as of May 20. About 300 people were living in hotels in High Level and Fort Vermilion, while around 150 were living in camps, and 80 were residing in tiny homes in Fox Lake.

Crystal McAteer, the Mayor of High Level, said, "They didn't have a place to return to, so they stayed here, their children go to school here, and they have become part of our community."

Last year, wildfires also destroyed dozens of homes in Yellowhead County, west of Edmonton, and dozens more in the East Prairie Métis settlement and Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, northwest of Edmonton.

Ray Subernolt, the Chief of the East Prairie Métis settlement, said the community received funding from the province to rebuild the 14 homes that were occupied just before the fire, and residents have moved into new model homes ahead of Christmas.

Juliet noted that about 25 members of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation are still staying in hotels in northern Alberta, with 75 living in rentals.

Life in a hotel

Nancy Bliss, who was long-term evacuated from Fox Lake, said losing her home last year was a harrowing experience.

She told CBC News in late April, "I didn't dream of anything at all."

The former student liaison officer focused on working as a security guard at a hotel in High Level and was living at the Flamingo Inn, where evacuees occupy about a dozen rooms.

Bliss said hotel staff did their best to accommodate the evacuated people, and people were kind to her, but a hotel room is not a home.

She has been traveling back and forth between High Level and Fox Lake, waiting for power to be restored in her tiny temporary home.

She said, "It will be hard trying to get back on our feet again, but that’s something we’re looking forward to."

Taysir Abou Mustafa, owner and manager of the Flamingo Inn, noted that hotel staff have become familiar with the evacuees over the past year, recognizing their voices over the phone and anticipating their meal requests.

Spencer Lewis and Kwalten Kenny, who run High 'n Dry Cleaners in High Level, said that evacuees from Fox Lake still come regularly to wash their clothes.

Lewis said, "I can’t imagine the things they have been through, but many of them still have smiles on their faces and are still friendly."

Rebuilding underway

Alberta is funding municipalities and Métis settlements affected by wildfires, but the federal government is leading recovery efforts in the reserves.

Juliet, spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada, said that the International Studies Centre provided more than $380 million to First Nations in Alberta for response and recovery activities related to last year's wildfire season.

She added that the Little Red River Cree Nation received funding through the Emergency Management Assistance Program and ISC continues to provide support for meals, accommodation, personal belongings, and other losses for long-term evacuees.

The recovery process is underway in Fox Lake, but many destroyed homes and buildings have not yet been rebuilt.

Juliet mentioned that the community nursing station has been fully restored from smoke damage.

Drinking water advisories have been lifted.

North West opened a temporary grocery store in February and plans to build a larger store, according to Dave Adamson, the company's sales and operations manager.

Kristin Marson said police officers are working out of a trailer until a new police center is built.

The Commercial Wind Training Association donated four studio homes to the Little Red River Cree Nation earlier this year.

Wendell Pleasant, Deputy Director of Emergency Management for the Little Red River Cree Nation, said there are nearly 21 new homes ready for occupancy and another 20 homes will be under construction immediately, adding that it may take three years to complete the rebuilding.

Pleasant continued that work on the homes began in the fall, but the community faced challenges in bringing in equipment and housing materials.

With no direct roads leading to Fox Lake, most goods are delivered to the community via ferries or ice roads in winter, but warm weather and fluctuations in the river's water affect those transport routes.

Ryan Tyndall from Indigenous Services Canada said that water released from British Columbia's dam hindered the community's ability to use their ice bridges.

He added in a statement, "We are working closely with the community to develop immediate solutions to overcome the challenges and support them in their rebuilding and recovery efforts following the wildfires."

Senator Paula Simons, who told CBC News she has been in touch with the chief and council since last fall, raised the same issue during the April Senate question period.

Spokesperson Mike Keely said that BC Hydro is not releasing warm, brackish water from any of its reservoirs, and drought may make some ice bridges more vulnerable to flow fluctuations.

Local state of emergency

Recently, the Little Red River Cree Nation declared a local state of emergency, stating in a resolution released on May 16 that the well-being and safety of the communities are at "serious risk" due to gang activity and drugs, alcohol, illegal firearm use, assaults, murder, and suicide.

The resolution also stated that displacement and trauma from last year's wildfires have exacerbated these issues.

Simons said, "It’s not just forcing people to live in hotels; the entire community has been uprooted from its moorings."

Timothy Clark, who owns Willow Springs Strategy Solutions and worked on a research project about rebuilding resilient communities following the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires, stated that evacuations can lead to the collapse of informal support networks, as many residents remain elsewhere, and disasters can exacerbate pre-existing issues in communities.

He said there is a need for long-term sustainable investment in Indigenous communities.

He added, "If these underlying issues are not addressed, you’re swimming upstream every time this happens."

Lucille Lapoucan, who lives in Fox Lake, stated that the evacuation was difficult for residents, as some had never left the community before, and others speak only Cree or speak English as a second language.

She added that some evacuees experienced discrimination at High Level and had their students’ lives uprooted.

She said therapists are helping those coping with post-traumatic stress disorder, but they do not speak Cree.

She mentioned that celebrations, gatherings, talking circles, and workshops will help community members heal, but expressing emotions is very difficult for some people.

However, she stated that the community will recover, "I always have hope for a better outcome – Fox Lake is stronger."