Pimicikamak Cree Nation wildfire evacuees to sleep in warm beds at Ontario hotel Sunday

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 01, 2025 9:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Dozens of wildfire evacuees from Pimicikamak Cree Nation checked into a edifice successful Niagara Falls, Ont., connected Sunday aft days spent without slumber successful a Winnipeg evacuation centre. 

On Saturday, First Nations leaders from crossed Manitoba called connected the federal, provincial and Winnipeg municipal governments to nonstop metropolis hotels to marque abstraction for assemblage members being displaced by much than 2 twelve wildfires burning crossed the province. 

The Manitoba authorities declared a provincial authorities of exigency connected Wednesday, with much than 17,000 evacuees expected to beryllium fleeing wildfires successful bluish Manitoba. 

Pimicikimak Cree Nation was placed nether an exigency evacuation bid and thousands were forced to permission location arsenic a wildfire burned retired of power adjacent the First Nation. 

As of Sunday afternoon, that occurrence was 3,300 hectares successful size, according to the astir caller occurrence bulletin from the province. 

Community members from Pimicikamak, besides known arsenic Cross Lake, were archetypal sent to Norway House Cree Nation, which has been nether an evacuation announcement since Wednesday. Residents determination were told to hole for evacuation but person not been ordered to leave.

From there, Pimicikamak evacuees were sent to an evacuation centre acceptable up astatine a shot analyzable successful northbound Winnipeg. 

Sheena Garrick, who works with Jordan's Principle for Pimicikamak Cree Nation, said conditions astatine the Winnipeg Soccer Federation North installation are "horrible". 

"Everybody's crying, moms are crying, their kids, they privation to spell home. It's precise heartbreaking," she said, adding the crying has been keeping bushed evacuees awake.

When the First Nation had the accidental to nonstop its citizens to a edifice successful Niagara Falls, Garrick worked overnight connected Saturday to signifier a radical of 47 radical to capable a plane. 

The evacuees landed successful Hamilton connected Sunday greeting and each had a comfy spot to slumber that night, Garrick said. 

"There was truthful overmuch relief. Everybody was smiling. Everybody was truthful blessed coming present to a lukewarm meal, knowing they're gonna person a lukewarm bed," she said.

Denny Scott, an serviceman with Jordan's Principal, said the Pimicikamak evacuees yet had a accidental to remainder since they were archetypal ordered to permission the First Nation connected Wednesday. 

"But Cross Lake is coming unneurotic arsenic 1 and we're unneurotic arsenic one," Scott said.  

Garrick said her telephone has been blowing up with questions from assemblage members astir erstwhile the adjacent level is going to permission from Winnipeg.

On Sunday, she said 2 much planes carrying 119 radical each were expected to get successful Ontario. 

"The chaos that's going connected successful Winnipeg close now, it's thing similar that. You're going to travel here, you're going to beryllium happy. You're going to beryllium comfortable," she said.