Federal, provincial and Indigenous leaders are expected to travel today to a beleaguered Manitoba First Nation that has been crippled by a frozen water system due to a days-long power outage.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, federal Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs Rebecca Chartrand and Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak are scheduled to be part of a delegation that visits Pimicikamak Cree Nation to survey damage that has prompted the community to declare a state of emergency.
Damage to critical infrastructure has forced thousands out from the nation, about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg, with no timeline on when they can return.
Chief David Monias says it’s unclear how many of the more than 1,300 homes in the community have been affected by pipes bursting and sewage seeping in because there hasn’t been enough resources to check all of them.
He says the community’s schools are also inoperable because of a damaged pipe and issues with the heating system.
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Monias has been calling for the deployment of the Canadian Armed Forces for emergency logistical support, including water delivery and sanitation work.
The Manitoba government also reached out to Ottawa this week requesting military assistance for Pimicikamak.
In a letter sent on Monday to Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski, the province asked the federal government to focus on the immediate assessment, repairing and restoration of critical infrastructure.
“Given the urgency of the situation, we appreciate Canada’s swift attention to this matter as the safety of the residents of the nation is our top priority,” said Lisa Naylor, Manitoba’s transportation and infrastructure minister.
Power was knocked out in the community on Dec. 28 after a 300-metre-long line that runs between two islands in the Nelson River broke.
It took Manitoba Hydro about four days to fix the break because of safety concerns in reaching the line.
The Crown corporation supplied a large generator to restore power to a water treatment plant, as well as generators to power eight heavy-duty heaters for the community’s use.
However, Monias has said water also seeped into the sockets of some homes, with at least four fires in the community so far since the outage. He said about 35 homes are now uninhabitable.
He was on the ground surveying homes on Tuesday and said some had severe sewage damage.
“Sewage back up right onto the bathtub, on the floor and coming out of the toilets. It was really a health hazard. We had to wear masks to go in there.”
© 2026 The Canadian Press