US EditionEvacuees from northern Manitoba community have no timeline for return home
About 237 homes are uninhabitable and repairs on 900 others continue, leaving roughly 2,000 Pimicikamak Cree Nation members displaced over two months after outage.
- On Feb. 27, 2026, David Monias said about 2,000 people remain displaced and 237 homes are uninhabitable in Pimicikamak Cree Nation, 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
- A days-long power outage at the end of last year froze water systems, causing sewer backups and burst pipes that exposed asbestos and mould in hundreds of homes, the Pimicikamak Cree Nation attributes to Manitoba Hydro.
- Work crews are addressing mould and emergency repairs on roughly 900 homes, members of the Armed Forces surveyed a water treatment plant last month, and Indigenous Services Canada provided $1.1 million.
- Residents face escalating health and psychological impacts, with those still displaced including elders, people with health issues, and families with young children, Monias said, raising anxiety and health risks.
- The community is calling for additional funding and for Manitoba Hydro to pay for mould and asbestos remediation, but Manitoba Hydro says it does not fund building repairs and Premier Wab Kinew would not commit extra resources.
14 Articles
14 Articles
‘It’s been very hard’: Evacuees from northern Manitoba community have no timeline for return home
Shelly Paupanekis has been stuck in a Winnipeg hotel since Jan. 3. She was among the hundreds of people evacuated from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, also known as Cross Lake, about 520 km north of Winnipeg, after a days-long power outage led to frozen pipes, which burst and flooded many homes.
The Toronto Star
Mould, asbestos, keep thousands out of Manitoba First Nation after outage
WINNIPEG - The leader of a First Nation in northern Manitoba that has been dealing with severe water damage, forcing many to leave, says 2,000 people remain displaced due to unhabitable homes.
2 months after power outage, Pimicikamak evacuee still unsure when he'll be able to return
Donald North Jr. and his family have been stuck in Winnipeg hotels for more than a month following a devastating power outage and flooding forced them from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, and every day has been exhausting, he says.
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