Leaders tour Manitoba’s Pimicikamak Cree Nation in aftermath of power outage

Manitoba’s premier and Indigenous leaders are travelling to Pimicikamak Cree Nation to assess the damage left behind by a days-long power outage that forced thousands of residents to evacuate. The visit comes as the community continues to deal with widespread water and infrastructure damage.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, along with federal and First Nations leaders, toured Pimicikamak Cree Nation to see firsthand the impact of the outage and ongoing recovery efforts. Bottled water, food, and plumbing supplies continue to be flown into the remote northern community, which is currently in a State of Emergency.

“What we are doing here is were having the minister and the premier here to witness what we have been saying all along,” said Premier Kinew.

“If you think back to what it was like for us in 2019 when we had hundreds of thousands of people without power, and that was tough, so cast your mind back to that, and you can feel how people here are feeling.”

The power failure began on Dec. 28, after a transmission line crossing the Nelson River broke, leaving the community without electricity for several days. While power has since been restored, the extended outage caused much of the community’s water system to freeze. That led to burst pipes, sewage backups, and damage inside homes across the First Nation.

“You’re looking at 1,300 homes, and they’ve found issues with 200 so far. I think we ned some more help up here to inspect more homes so everyone can come back,” said Kinew.

Todd McConell, the lead plumber brought in to assess damage, said, “The main issue is water getting into the house. It’s an issue when we get it fixed behind walls, there will be leaks and black mold when there’s water, black mold grows.”

Chief David Monias, Pimicikamak Cree Nation, said, “The sewage plant is non existant its frizen undercground and it’s going to thaw out and go into the water and into our intake system.”

Community buildings were also affected. Schools remain closed due to heating and plumbing issues, and the health centre is operating on an emergency basis with limited access to water.

Several homes were damaged by fires after power was restored, believed to be caused by heaters malfunctioning. Thousands of residents remain displaced, with no clear timeline for when it will be safe to return.

Pimicikamak leadership says the community urgently needs skilled workers, including plumbers, electricians, and inspectors, to assess and repair damaged homes and infrastructure.

“We’re identifying the resources we, the techincians elecitricains the carpenters, and plumbers. People are calling to help us, but we said, ‘Okay, we can do that, but we don’t have money for it yet,'” Chief Monais explained.

The Manitoba government has also requested additional support to help with emergency response, damage assessment, and restoring essential services, as recovery efforts continue in the community.