Wildfire forces last-minute closure of Whiteshell Park, dampens long-awaited café reopening
Posted May 16, 2025 5:13 pm.
Last Updated May 17, 2025 11:19 am.
After two years of closure, a café just outside Whiteshell Provincial Park was ready for a grand opening Friday.
But the expected stream of customers was kept away by the park closure, which went into effect Thursday due to nearby wildfires.
“Everybody’s been asking about this, and the locals want to come out and support us, which is awesome. And just all the tourist traffic—everybody going to their cabins—May long weekend, right? It’s traditionally always busy,” said Michael Cipuzak, manager of Boondocks Bistro.
“Now this has completely put the kibosh on everything, for obvious reasons.”
Cipuzak and his family are using the weekend for extra training while they wait for the park to reopen.
“I just hope everybody’s safe—that’s the big thing. We have lots of long weekends left, so we’ll be alright,” he added.
All is quiet near Whiteshell Provincial Park, where more fire crews arrived Friday morning to help hold the fire line inside the evacuation zone. The area received very little rain compared to Winnipeg, as light mist continued to drizzle.
“We seem to be in a no-rain zone for some reason,” said Glen Kirby, an evacuee.
Kirby evacuated his home in the park Thursday—where he’s lived for 20 years.
“We try to stay updated, but they’re not very good at updating,” he said.
As of Friday afternoon, the province had not released an updated fire report.
Kirby says he’s not too worried about his home—“but you never know.”
Residents aren’t sure when they’ll be allowed back in. Some hope it could be Wednesday, but the situation remains fluid.
Ken Pickering, president of the Whiteshell Cottagers Association, urged caution:
“Those that are looking to get back into the park in a hurry, they may see the rain and feel like everything’s good to go. Rushing back in before any official announcements—please stay out. Let them finish and do what they need to do. There may be a lot going on and different factors at play that we may or may not be aware of.”
