The MKO Santa Express is spreading holiday cheer in several northern Manitoba communities.
The initiative, which was started in 2009 by Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) and Perimeter Aviation, is sending Santa into 25 communities over five days this year, lifting spirits after what was a tough year for many northern Manitoba First Nations. The MKO Santa Express got underway on Monday, and will visit communities in the north each day until Saturday.
“It was a rough summer with the power outage and the evacuation,” said Alyse Saultier, a school guidance counsellor in O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree (OPCN) Nation.
“It was hard for a lot of the kids to be away for such a long time, and then we had a late start coming into school as well.”
Much of the South Indian Lake community was evacuated for 90 days, while some residents sheltered in place. The wildfires also resulted in a months-long power outage, which prolonged the evacuation.
“I’m so grateful and so happy to see everybody come together because we had such a hard time with the wildfires and being evacuated for most of the summer,” OPCN Coun. Rita Thomas told Global News.
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“It was pretty sad, and now we’re lifting up people and coming back together as one — as a family, as a whole community.”
Thomas said children and youth were the most impacted by the evacuations. Many residents of OPCN stayed in hotels in Winnipeg waiting out the wildfires and waiting for power to be restored.
“Teenagers and our young people (had) a culture shock and people didn’t actually know how the city life was and they got hooked into drugs and all that. But we helped each one of them and now they’re clean and we’re getting our community back together.”
On Tuesday, the Santa Express also visited Barren Lands First Nation and Northlands Denesuline First Nation.
“When you see the little kids and when you see them come meet Santa and the excitement in their faces, it makes it all worthwhile,” MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee said.
This year’s route took Santa as far north as Sayisi Dene First Nation in Tadoule Lake.
“Just happy to see the kids’ faces. They don’t get this often, and there’s not much else here to do,” Sayisi Dene First Nation Coun. Corey Cheekie told Global News.
Cheekie says the visit to the community goes far beyond taking photos with Santa.
“Right now, we’re just going through a rough time with this community with addictions and everything that’s going on out here. So it’s good that we have a bit of positivity.”
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