Fleeing wildfires, hundreds from Manitoba First Nations settle into Niagara Falls, Ont. hotels

Justin Chandler · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 3

As wildfires pain retired of power adjacent their communities, hundreds of Manitoba First Nations residents person been enactment up successful hotels successful Niagara Falls, Ont. — for immoderate astir 1,800 kilometres distant from their homes.

For Pimicikamak Cree Nation nonmigratory Stevie Muskego, who "never truly near the reserve" before, travelling truthful acold distant has been "kind of strange" and "very stressful." 

Speaking successful Niagara Falls Monday, Muskego told Radio-Canada he's unsure however agelong he'll person to enactment successful Ontario and is taking things time by day. 

"What tin you do?" helium said, adding he's grateful for the enactment he's received frankincense far. 

"I'm precise frightened for my community," Muskego said, besides mentioning the 3 dogs and 2 cats helium had to permission behind.

But staying location wasn't safe. He arrived successful Niagara connected Sunday, a travel that progressive respective days of travelling to a fewer communities on the way. 

More than 17,000 radical are being forced from their homes successful parts of Manitoba owed to the fires, with mandatory evacuations successful spot for communities including Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage and Pukatawagan. The Manitoba government declared a provincial authorities of emergency last week.

WATCH | Man shares however helium and his household of 8 near Manitoba owed to wildfires:

Kurtis Ferland, an evacuee from Pukatawagan, told CBC News helium could lone bring 1 container of his belongings arsenic helium near location with heavy fume successful the air.

"Everything other tin beryllium replaced," helium said. "Just lives. That's the lone thing. Family can't beryllium replaced. So hopefully everyone gets retired of there. There's inactive tons of radical retired there."

Sheena Garrick, a unpaid supporting Pimicikamak evacuees, told Radio-Canada that owed to the fig of radical displaced, there's nary much country successful Manitoba, hence the request to spell to Ontario for shelter. 

Garrick is from Pimicikamak herself. She said galore evacuees were skeptical astir coming to Niagara Falls due to the fact that things were chaotic successful Winnipeg, but she thinks they'll beryllium amended served successful Ontario.

About 90 radical from Pimicikamak, besides called Cross Lake, travelled to Niagara Falls Sunday, Garrick said.

Overall 250 evacuees were acceptable to beryllium settled successful the Niagara Falls country Sunday, with respective 100 much expected to person flown in Monday, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) — which represents bluish Manitoba First Nations — said connected its Facebook leafage Sunday. 

Niagara Falls, which has a colonisation of astir 94,000 per the 2021 census, is simply a fashionable tourer destination. Its tourism website says the metropolis has 12,000 impermanent rooms. 

In caller years its hotels were location to different radical of displaced people. In 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada housed thousands of asylum seekers successful Niagara Falls, utilizing 1,500 to 2,000 rooms successful March 2023 retired of implicit 3,500 crossed Canada. 

On Monday, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati told CBC News helping evacuees is "the Canadian happening to do."

"Because of our large inventory of edifice rooms, you know, we're blessed that we tin bash our portion and play Team Canada," helium said, adding the metropolis is preparing to perchance location thousands of people. 

Diodati said the evacuation is federally funded but the municipality volition bash its champion to marque evacuees consciousness welcome. "We'll bash our portion making definite they've got immoderate large attractions, passes and entree to immoderate amenities that they need."

In a statement, MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee praised evacuation efforts successful Ontario, saying "this is the level of coordination we strive for successful Manitoba," and "the level of respect our members merit portion they are dealing with a precise traumatic experience." 

First Nations and provincial governments moving with hazard absorption company

Indigenous leaders successful Manitoba person accused the national and provincial governments of mediocre connection and dilatory responses to assets requests.

MKO is partnering with hazard absorption institution Xpera, which specializes successful evacuations. Xpera vice-president Robert Garland told CBC News his institution has contracts with Ontario and Manitoba.

He said they came to Niagara due to the fact that it has the capableness to grip an influx of people, and "a beardown past of Indigenous support."

Evacuee Danner Francois told Radio-Canada having to evacuate rapidly was scary and helium worries astir his location burning down. But present that he's successful Niagara Falls, helium said helium feels better. "It's peaceful now. I consciousness a batch safer — nary fire, nary smoke."

WATCH | Manitoba tin usage 'every h2o bomber we tin get our hands on,' Premier Wab Kinew says:

Speaking to reporters Monday, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said astir 1,000 edifice rooms volition unfastened successful Winnipeg to location evacuees.

The state had 25 progressive wildfires arsenic of Sunday, including 8 considered retired of control. 

Kinew said warring aggregate wildfires successful the occidental provinces is simply a strain connected shared resources, truthful Canada volition request to "contend with aboriginal occurrence seasons being much and much similar this, which means scaling up our firefighting capability."

"We could usage each h2o bomber we tin get our hands on," helium said, noting Manitoba ordered some, but volition person to hold 5 years to get them.