Manitoba
One of bluish Manitoba's biggest play festivals has been cancelled this twelvemonth owed to the wildfire authorities of exigency successful the province.
'Basically it was for the information of each that we had to cancel the event': Jennifer Thackeray
CBC News
· Posted: Jun 10, 2025 10:23 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago
One of bluish Manitoba's biggest play festivals has been cancelled this twelvemonth owed to the wildfire authorities of exigency successful the province.
Thompson's yearly Nickel Days was scheduled to instrumentality spot June 19-22 with a headliner performance by country euphony prima Dean Brody, but the exigency concern successful the state called for "a hard decision," said Jennifer Thackeray, the event's president.
"We've had unprecedented wildfires and evacuations successful bluish Manitoba. Because of this, we felt for the information and well-being of each residents of bluish Manitoba, to cancel Nickel Days," she said. "We did not marque this determination lightly."
The lawsuit is simply a large woody not conscionable for those successful Thompson, but the full bluish portion astir it, Thackeray said.
The metropolis has a population of conscionable implicit 13,000 and the event's full gross number implicit the play ranges from 15,000-20,000 each year, she said.
"So it's fundamentally the full northbound that's affected by this decision, but that's what we had to do. We felt that was the astir liable people of action."
Manitoba is experiencing the worst wildfire play successful caller memory, with about 21,000 evacuees from 27 communities registered with the Canadian Red Cross arsenic of June 9. There are 29 progressive wildfires and a full of 116 this twelvemonth to date.
"Our thoughts are with each of those who person been impacted by the wildfires and evacuations. Everyone, delight enactment safe," Thackeray said.
Thompson is not threatened by occurrence but overmuch of the portion is.
Just 120 kilometres to the southbound are the Cross Lake fires, which are astir 59,000 hectares combined, while 110 kilometres northeast of Thompson is the Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake) fire, which is astir 22,000 hectares.
About 185 kilometres westbound of Thompson, there's a 55,000-hectare occurrence adjacent Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan), while 220 kilometres southwest of Thompson is the massive, agreed Sherridon and Flin Flon blaze, astatine nearly 308,000 hectares.
Mandatory evacuation orders are successful spot for Pimicikamak Cree Nation and the incorporated assemblage of Cross Lake, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, the city of Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Sherridon, Herb Lake Landing, Grass River Provincial Park and Wekusko Falls Provincial Park, Big Island Lake, Schist Lake, the Little Athapapuskow cottage area, Lake Athapapuskow, Payuk Lake, Twin Lake, Whitefish, White Lake (northwest region) and Bakers Narrows Provincial Park.
Nickel Days started in the aboriginal 1960s arsenic a tiny summertime festival with a parade and circus and has lone been cancelled erstwhile before — owed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It partnered with the National King Miner contention successful 1972 and adopted the contiguous name as a tribute to the nickel deposits that led to the instauration of Thompson successful the 1950s.
The modern lawsuit includes a midway with rides and games, vendors, concerts and different signifier shows, beer gardens, household games, a parade, a social, assorted sporting events and, of course, the National King Miner competition, successful which miners compete successful a bid of events, like drilling, pipefitting and ladder climbing.
While occurrence isn't a interest for Thompson, the aerial prime is impacted by fume from the fires, Thackeray said.
"And right now, non-essential question is not peculiarly recommended. You don't privation to get … people into Thompson and past not beryllium capable to get them retired again if the roads are closed," she said.
"Basically it was for the information of each that we had to cancel the event."
The festival is held successful the batch of the Thompson Recreation Centre, which added different wrinkle, arsenic that installation is hosting evacuees.
"Obviously we're not going to displace evacuees to person a assemblage festival," Thackeray said.
Organizers volition soon beryllium successful touch with each of the firm sponsors to robust things out, and information volition beryllium posted successful the upcoming weeks astir the process for refunds for anyone who purchased Dean Brody tickets.
With files from Cameron MacLean