Pimicikamak families unable to return home 2 months after power outage

Over 2000 people evacuated from Pimicikamak Cree Nation are still unable to return to their homes two months after a power outage caused extensive damages.

The dayslong outage that began on Dec. 28, 2025 caused burst pipes and floods damaging over a thousand houses.

At a press conference Friday, David Monias, chief of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation said, “It’s affecting them, their anxiety levels are high, their stress levels are high and it starts to really effect them psychologically and emotionally.”

Monias said that 237 homes were classified as uninhabitable requiring extensive repairs. Roughly 900 homes need mold remediation and emergency repairs.

Monias also said that while Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) provided financial support for structural repairs, it is not funding mold and asbestos remediation.

“The state of emergency was about the power outage; the state of emergency was about the frozen pipes and water tanks and so forth,” Monias said. “But the state of emergency now has turned into health and safety issue.”

In a statement to CityNews, ISC said, “While EMAP does not have funding authority to cover pre-existing issues, the department takes mould and asbestos concerns very seriously.”

“In addition to the Nation’s existing housing funding, Indigenous Services Canada is also providing funding of $1.1 million to assist the community in repairing any pre-existing issues that the community determines as required. Should the cost of repairs for pre-existing issues exceed available funding, ISC will continue to work with the nation to identify options.”

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said, “We just want to see people to be able to go home. We’ve offered a lot of assistance, when the power when out we provided emergency generators.”

The Band Council also expressed concerns that the back up power line remained in the same area.

“If we have two lines together in the same infrastructure that’s not safe,” Monias said. “You are guaranteed that you will have a power outage again. if not in summer, then in winter.”

In a statement Manitoba Hydro acknowledged that the power lines remained vulnerable.

“Our advice regarding the location of the power line has been that putting it along the road would double the length of the line which makes outages more likely and would be no guarantee against an extended outage – if a severe storm were to damage the line and close the road, the result would be a multi-day outage.”