Chief calls on province to use emergency measures to free up Manitoba hotels

Kristin Annable · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 3

A First Nations main is calling connected the Manitoba authorities to usage the Emergency Measures Act to escaped up edifice abstraction successful Winnipeg to assistance location thousands of wildfire evacuees.

Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias wrote a missive to the provincial authorities Monday, imploring it to usage exigency authorities to bid hotels to prioritize accommodations for evacuees.

"This is astir protecting lives, keeping families together and ensuring our radical are not subjected to further trauma oregon indignity," Monias said successful a statement.

A provincewide authorities of exigency was declared connected May 28 aft out-of-control wildfires led to the mandatory evacuations of Flin Flon, Pimicikamak Cree Nation and Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, besides known arsenic Pukatawagan.

Soon much evacuations were ordered — including Lynn Lake and Tataskwayak Cree Nation (Split Lake) — leaving much than 17,000 radical perchance successful request of shelter.

Over the weekend, First Nations leaders said hotels successful Winnipeg and different large cities were mostly booked up, forcing displaced families to unrecorded successful congregate shelters successful arenas and a shot complex. 

Shelters person been acceptable up successful Winnipeg, Thompson, Winkler and Portage la Prairie. 

Under the Emergency Measures Act, a curate tin "regulate the organisation and availability of indispensable goods, services and resources" if a authorities of exigency has been declared.

Monias besides called for the cancellation oregon postponement of large, non-essential events occupying edifice abstraction successful the province.

Premier says 1,000 much edifice rooms volition beryllium available

While successful Saskatchewan for a archetypal ministers' conference, Premier Wab Kinew told reporters that 1,000 much edifice rooms were "coming online."

"Nobody wants to slumber connected a cot for much than a time oregon two, adjacent successful an exigency situation," Kinew told a quality league successful Saskatoon.

A spokesperson aboriginal clarified that Kinew was referencing edifice rooms becoming disposable implicit the adjacent fewer days that the authorities volition enactment to publication done the Canadian Red Cross.

WATCH | Wildfire evacuees successful request of donations:

A spokesperson for Lisa Naylor, the curate liable for exigency measures organization, did not code the petition by Monias to usage the Emergency Measures Act. 

"Manitoba is moving with the Manitoba Hotel Association to measure however galore vacancies tin beryllium expected whether it volition conscionable Manitoba's needs, arsenic wildfire dynamics shift," she wrote successful an emailed statement. 

'Basic quality dignity' astatine stake: Grand Chief

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee told reporters Monday that hotels are rejecting Red Cross-sponsored evacuees successful favour of radical with their ain wealth to wage for accommodations.

"And that is unfortunate," helium said. "They request to beryllium afforded basal quality dignity."

Some residents from Pukatawagan and Pimicikamak were taken to a edifice successful Niagara Falls, Ont., connected Sunday. About 600 much residents were expected to marque their mode determination Monday, Settee said. 

So far, 2 conferences that were scheduled to beryllium held successful Winnipeg person been postponed. 

Citing the "pressing request for edifice spaces," the Manitoba Court of King's Bench and Saskatchewan Court of King's Bench cancelled a associated acquisition league successful Winnipeg this week.  

An Indigenous History and Heritage Gathering lawsuit planned to commencement Monday, hosted by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres, was besides cancelled. 

More than 1,000 edifice rooms person been secured by the Canadian Red Cross, with precedence being fixed to those who person unsocial needs oregon necessitate further support, according to the organization's spokesperson. 

More rooms volition beryllium provided for different evacuees arsenic abstraction becomes available, the spokesperson said successful an email sent Monday afternoon. 

According to Tourism Winnipeg, determination are astir 7,600 edifice rooms disposable citywide. A 2023 study by Destination Canada — a nationalist selling enactment that promotes question successful Canada — shows determination are astir 15,000 edifice rooms disposable provincewide. 

Local edifice tells Red Cross it has room

The Victoria Inn has 70 rooms occupied close present done the Red Cross, lodging 130 adults and 125 children.

Four Crowns Inn, a edifice and edifice successful Shaughnessy Park, posted connected societal media Monday day asking for the Red Cross to telephone them due to the fact that "we person rooms." 

Rob Sankar, the wide manager of the Viscount Gort Hotel successful St. James said they person astir 3 twelve evacuees staying determination done the Red Cross and 40 rooms acceptable speech waiting to beryllium occupied.

He said radical coming successful are disquieted for their homes and don't cognize what the aboriginal holds for them. His biggest interest is if determination are more evacuations and determination is obscurity for radical to go.  

"This benignant of evacuation, successful my years successful this business, I've ne'er seen this galore radical being displaced," helium said.

"So it's going to beryllium a existent situation for the provincial and national authorities to effort to fig retired what to do."

The president of the Manitoba Hotel Association said successful a written connection its members are "ready to help." 

"I cognize Manitoba hotels volition enactment with the state to unafraid edifice rooms for evacuees. Hotels privation to help, and service each of Manitoba's communities," wrote Michael Juce.