Métis-led environmental group hits Red River to retrieve submerged stolen vehicle
Posted May 7, 2026 5:39 pm.
Last Updated May 7, 2026 6:46 pm.
It’s not every day a vehicle gets pulled from the bottom of a river, but volunteers with a local revival group hauled a submerged vehicle from the Red River near Netley Creek on Wednesday as part of a growing effort to clean up Manitoba waterways and remove what’s hiding beneath the surface.
After more than an hour of surveying, diving, and prepping equipment, crews finally pulled the muddy stolen vehicle from the Red River on Wednesday morning.
The recovery was led by Red River Revival, a Métis-led environmental cleanup group that works to remove various debris polluting Manitoba waterways.
“We’ve removed things from the river like barber chairs. Of all things that you can find on the side of the river, it’s a barber chair. Microwaves, we’ve had stoves and fridges and mattresses, all kinds of things,” said R.J. Kusmack, with Red River Revival.
Working alongside the group was Submerged Underwater Services — a Manitoba dive company helping safely recover vehicles and debris from below the surface. They say this service is vital, highlighting how many vehicles they have already pulled this year alone.
“Usually, there’s a little bit of a release when we’re extracting it. So we do our part with having spill booms out and making sure that we clean up things appropriately,” said Dakota Gunderson, the CEO of Submerged Underwater Services.
“Now out here, this is two, we’ve probably done two yesterday, pushing 10 just in the past however many months.”
Once it was pulled from the river, you could see that it was covered in mud, scratches, and debris. There was even still a purse left inside. RCMP confirmed at that moment that the vehicle had been reported stolen and had to ensure that nothing connected to a larger investigation was inside.
“It’s kind of a two birds, one stone situation where they can assist us, it’s great for us and for the environment at the same time,” said Staff Sgt. Luke Sampson, with the Manitoba RCMP.
For Kusmack, this is just the beginning. The organization hopes to eventually map the Red River and locate more vehicles and debris hidden underwater, but it needs funding help.
“We know that there’s all kinds of things down at the bottom of the river we’re going to find. And like I said, we just want it all out,” said Kusmack.
The stolen vehicle was later turned over to Manitoba Public Insurance.
