New fencing and warning signs are coming to Sturgeon Falls
Posted August 17, 2026 6:48 pm.
Work is now underway on new safety measures at Sturgeon Falls, weeks after two young brothers were swept into the rapids.
The province says new fencing and warning signs will be installed before the trail reopens, changes some in the community have been calling for years.
The changes follow the deaths of 13-year-old Aaron Au Ramirez and his 10-year-old brother Maximo, who were swept into the water at Sturgeon Falls in July.
Nutimik Lake Lodge co-owner Allison Baker-Thiessen says local representatives later met with Manitoba Parks and the province to help determine how to make the popular trail safer.
“It was good to not only have the province and the parks beside us but actually have the people that are right here living it, hearing it, seeing it have a voice as well,” said Allison Baker-Thiessen, a co-owner of Nutimik Lake Lodge.
The plan includes fencing around the dangerous rocks, with Baker-Thiessen saying community members pushed to extend the barrier so visitors can’t simply walk around it. Warning signs will also be updated, while discussions continue around a future site to honour those who have died at the falls.
“We still really, really want to see a memorial portion come up. That has not yet been put out there yet. On how it’s going to be designed or what it’s going to look like, the more,” said Baker-Thiessen.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes says fencing work is expected to begin this week and take about three weeks.
“We’re looking forward to getting that fence set up as well as additional signage to really outline for Manitobans the safety precautions that need to be taken and to keep Manitobans safe,” said Moyes.
Baker-Thiessen says, “Yeah, it’s too bad it took this long, but we look back, and we say, hey, at least it’s being done, right.”
But those calls for changes aren’t new. In 2023, 12-year-old Usaid Habib died after slipping from the rocks and was swept into the rapids. His family later called for measures including fencing and improved signage.
Following this summer’s deaths, Moyes also ordered a review of potentially dangerous areas in Manitoba’s provincial parks.
“What I’ve asked the team to do is to go through all of the different areas in the provincial park and try to flag areas that could use some potential remediation, whether that is something like a fence or whether that’s signage or other measures,” said Moyes.
Community representatives are expected to walk the trail with Manitoba Parks once the work is complete.
