Manitoba urges tourists not to visit as wildfire evacuees hit 21,000

Manitoba is urging tourists to reconsider visiting as it works to find shelter for a flood of wildfire evacuees now reaching 21,000.

“This is one of the largest evacuations in our province’s history,” Lisa Naylor, the Manitoba minister in charge of emergency management, said Monday.

“The government anticipates there may be a need for more hotel rooms as the wildfire season continues. For that reason, we are urging Manitobans and Canadians to reconsider non-essential travel and event plans within Manitoba.”

She added: “There are thousands of evacuees currently displaced, and the provincial government, along with its partners, have been working quickly to find accommodation that fits their comfort, medical, and family needs.”

Naylor acknowledged it was a difficult announcement to make.

“We absolutely know how important tourism is to Manitoba, and we are very mindful of the many workers whose livelihoods depend on a strong tourism sector.”

The Manitoba Hotel Association estimates there are about 15,000 hotel rooms in the province.

The province has set up four congregate shelters for wildfire evacuees, with reception centres in Winnipeg, Brandon, and Thompson.

Manitoba has more than 300 firefighters battling blazes from the remote northwest down through the southeast. Crews have come from other provinces and the United States, with more U.S. crews expected Monday.

There are 28 active wildfires, 10 of which are out of control.

That firefighting work, along with a little bit of weekend rain, has kept the fires from overwhelming evacuated communities.

The largest fire, menacing the city of Flin Flon and its surrounding communities, spans more than 3,000 square kilometres — to put that in context, the city of Winnipeg, at 46,000 hectares, could fit inside the fire nearly seven times — and it could be growing even larger, with officials expecting the wildfire to merge with the one just north near Pukatawagan Cree Nation.

“It’s quite likely that they will join up, however, we are confident in our work to protect the communities themselves, so even if they do, we aren’t particularly concerned about a large mega-fire being formed,” said Kristin Hayward, with the Manitoba Wildfire Service.

All 5,000 residents of Flin Flon and thousands more in the area remain out. In north-central Manitoba, fires have forced 6,700 out of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation.

In total, there are 27 communities under evacuation orders.

The province is under a state of emergency, making it easier for various levels of government to co-ordinate coverage.

Hayward said 74 charges and 28 warnings have been issued for those breaking the fire rules.

She referred to two arson charges laid by the RCMP last month, but said arson is not a widespread problem.

“Many of our fires remain under investigation (but) I wouldn’t say people are out deliberately setting fires on a large scale,” said Hayward.

“The majority of what we see are fires that start because of carelessness.”

Thousands also remained out of their homes in Saskatchewan and Alberta, including between 10,000 and 15,000 in Saskatchewan alone.

Saskatchewan officials, in a Monday update, said rain has helped crews contain the fires while allowing residents, including those in the hamlet of Weyakwin and some from Pelican Narrows, to return.

“We’re now turning a corner,” said Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod.

Crews are battling 25 wildfires, and 33 communities are under full or limited evacuation orders.

McLeod said they have asked the federal government to provide two base camps to support crews and tents for sheltering up to 200 people as the work begins to clean up and rebuild damaged communities.

About 7,000 in and around La Ronge remain out of their homes.

Premier Scott Moe has resisted Opposition calls to bring in the military. Moe has said they talk with the federal government daily, but notes the military provides air evacuation, and so far, the province has been able to get people out by road.

In an NDP news release, three evacuees, including two from a community near the Saskatchewan-Manitoba boundary, said Moe should call in the Armed Forces.

“I’m very disappointed in a government that I voted for and I had faith in,” said Rhonda Werbicki, whose family home of 26 years burned down in Denare Beach.

Linda Lowe’s home of 31 years was also destroyed.

“How many more families have to lose their homes or do fatalities have to occur before we are given the help we need to fight these fires and get some financial aid?” she said.

The NDP says some evacuees have gone days without financial aid and that funds are “tied to limited grocery store locations.”

Asked about the issues, McLeod reiterated that if the military is needed, it will be called, but said the NDP is deliberately muddying that message.

“It’s unfortunate if the NDP wants to become political about it,” he said.

Moe’s government has also warned that most of the fires are human-caused.

Last week, Mounties said they charged two people in Saskatchewan with arson in separate areas of the province.

RCMP allege a woman started a fire around Spiritwood, about 175 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. A man is also accused of setting fires in a ditch along Highway 55 near Snowden before it was extinguished.

As of Monday, 21,000 Manitoba wildfire evacuees had registered with the Canadian Red Cross, and with more hotel rooms likely needed before the fire season is over, the province is asking for people to reconsider any summer plans to visit Manitoba. 

— with files from the Canadian Press