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OTTAWA – Children covered in sores and rashes in an Ontario First Nation are being evacuated as Health Canada officials launch an investigation.

The federal agency has not yet confirmed when the evacuations will take place from Kashechewan First Nation, a remote community located on the coast of James Bay in northern Ontario.

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Doctors are also expected to be sent into the community from Moosonee, Ont., to conduct door-to-door visits and determine if other children are developing similar symptoms.

Health Minister Jane Philpott addressed the Kashechewan cases outside the House of Commons on Monday.

The water has been tested

The children in the community are not suffering from a water-related condition, she said.

“It is our understanding that that is not the case,” Philpott said.

“In fact, the water has been tested as recently as last Tuesday and we know that it meets all of the appropriate standards for safety and drinking water and water to be used for other purposes.”