Manitoba to close wildfire evacuation centres as communities return home
Posted June 19, 2025 3:15 pm.
Last Updated June 19, 2025 7:32 pm.
Some wildfire evacuees staying in a shelter in northern Manitoba may be moved elsewhere in the province as more communities return home and the government closes temporary evacuations centres.
The province says congregate shelters in Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie are closing as space has opened up in hotel rooms.
The shelter at the Leila Soccer Complex will remain open in case additional evacuations are needed.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor says roughly 114 people are still displaced at the shelter in Thompson due to a lack of available hotel spaces.
She says some evacuees staying in the city may be close to returning home and others may be moved to hotels elsewhere in Manitoba within the next day or two.
The fires forced more than 22,000 from their homes, although many began returning home over the weekend.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
