Manitoba residents fleeing scorching wildfires take refuge in Niagara Falls
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The family flew to Niagara Falls from there and he says they've now settled in at one of the five downtown hotels taking in evacuees, while hanging on to hope that what he's heard about his home — that it's still standing and intact — is true.
More than 18,000 people have been displaced due to the wildfires in Manitoba since last week, including 5,000 residents of Flin Flon near the Saskatchewan boundary, along with members from at least four First Nations.
Some residents from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, east of Flin Flon, were taken to Niagara Falls on Sunday, with more arriving since then.
So far, close to 2,000 evacuees have been put up in hotels near tourist attractions and the iconic Horseshoe Falls, with around 1,000 more expected to arrive in the coming days.
Graham Colomb, from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, was evacuated by helicopter from the reserve. Seeing the destruction from the sky left him heartbroken, he said.
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CTV News
15 hours ago
- CTV News
From flames to Falls: Canada's Indigenous wildfire evacuees take refuge in Niagara
Scores of wildfires have swept across Canada since the start of May, forcing more than 30,000 people to evacuate in three provinces. NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — As wildfires engulfed Manitoba's remote north in late May, Joseph Garry, 63, fled the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation indigenous reserve, also known as Pukatawagan, on a helicopter. With other evacuees, he took three separate government flights before boarding a bus to find shelter in Niagara Falls, Canada's most popular tourist destination, some 2,000 kilometres from home. Scores of wildfires have swept across Canada since the start of May, forcing more than 30,000 people to evacuate in three provinces, spreading smoke into the U.S., and disrupting crude oil and mining production. Indigenous communities have been hit especially hard. Although First Nations people make up only around 5 per cent of Canada's population, they are among the most affected by this year's wildfires. Manitoba is struggling with its largest-ever fire evacuation effort. Early evacuees took shelter in community and sport centers in Winnipeg, but the province's cities are running out of space, forcing officials to turn to other locations such as Ontario's Niagara Falls, which has ample hotels. Around 2,000 evacuees from Manitoba and 500 from Northern Ontario are staying in four hotels in Niagara Falls, with more possibly arriving in coming days, according to Jo Zambito, chief of the Niagara Falls Fire Department. While the city is proud to help fellow Canadians during a crisis, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati urged the federal and provincial governments to consider alternative accommodations as peak tourism season approaches. Indigenous leaders in Manitoba have criticized both federal and provincial governments for inadequate communication and delays in delivering requested resources during the wildfire crisis, while Pukatawagan residents recounted a chaotic and frightening evacuation. Videos shared by residents with Reuters showed military and civilian helicopters buzzing back and forth over the remote community of roughly 3,000 people, landing on the school field as thick wildfire smoke enveloped the area and flames inched nearer, and dozens of people huddled inside a Chinook military helicopter. At one point, a pilot warned Garry and 100 others waiting to board that the fire was only half a kilometer away and being pushed closer by the wind. 'To tell you the truth, it's... It's scary. Not for myself, but for everybody else. Especially children,' Garry said, in tears while speaking at the hotel the federal government is housing him in. Garry, a manager at the local airfield, left all his belongings behind except for a few sets of clothing and was briefly separated from two of his daughters and their children. His 50-person extended family was later reunited in Niagara Falls. Vanessa Hart, 43, a stay-at-home mother from Pukatawagan who was evacuated to Niagara Falls, said that despite repeated pleas from their chief and council, help did not arrive for three to four days. She believes a faster evacuation could have prevented significant distress. 'They didn't come and help right away,' Hart said. Indigenous Services Canada, which managed the evacuation, said emergency response is a shared responsibility and first response is generally up to local authorities. 'The Government of Canada is working alongside First Nation partners, as well as provincial and territorial counterparts, and continues to closely monitor the rapidly evolving wildfire situation across the country,' the agency said in a statement. Manitoba's government said in an email that smoky conditions near Pukatawagan early in the emergency response prevented water bombers from providing vital air support. 'They (planes) were grounded for all fires in the air support has been used extensively in the north whenever and wherever possible,' it added. A date to return home for the evacuees in Niagara Falls is uncertain and depends on when plane and rail access are restored - possibly in one to two months. Wildfire response in First Nations communities has been 'pretty chaotic,' said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. She called for more investment in basic infrastructure such as fire hydrants and fire trucks. 'We need more coordination. And we've been asking for it for decades,' she said. Article by Wa Lone, Kyaw Soe Oo. Additional reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Nia Williams.
Global News
4 days ago
- Global News
Manitoba residents fleeing scorching wildfires take refuge in Niagara Falls, Ont.
Some Manitoba residents who have taken refuge in Niagara Falls, Ont., after fleeing wildfires raging in their province say they're grateful for the hospitality but worry they won't have a home to return to once the flames die down. Kelly Ouskun says he saw so much fire and smoke along the highway on the drive from his family's home in Split Lake to Thompson, about 145 kilometres away, that he felt 'nauseated' and his eyes hurt. The family flew to Niagara Falls from there and he says they've now settled in at one of the five downtown hotels taking in evacuees, while hanging on to hope that what he's heard about his home — that it's still standing and intact — is true. More than 18,000 people have been displaced due to the wildfires in Manitoba since last week, including 5,000 residents of Flin Flon near the Saskatchewan boundary, along with members from at least four First Nations. Story continues below advertisement Some residents from Pimicikamak Cree Nation, east of Flin Flon, were taken to Niagara Falls on Sunday, with more arriving since then. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy So far, close to 2,000 evacuees have been put up in hotels near tourist attractions and the iconic Horseshoe Falls, with around 1,000 more expected to arrive in the coming days. Graham Colomb, from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, was evacuated by helicopter from the reserve. Seeing the destruction from the sky left him heartbroken, he said. 'I was devastated, man, devastated seeing all that go up in flames. It was hard to see,' he said while sitting outside a Niagara Falls hotel along with roughly half a dozen others. While he doesn't have his own house and was living with a family member, Colomb said he's unsure that home will still be standing when they get back. 'What I'm worried about is when we go back, I'm hoping that we still have a roof,' he said.
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
'Do we have a house?' Caregivers working to make sure kids are occupied, calm during wildfire evacuations
Social Sharing As wildfires continue to displace families from northern towns and First Nations communities, evacuees are finding temporary refuge and support in Saskatchewan cities — which includes activities to keep their kids occupied, and not worrying about the fires threatening their homes. Sarah Swan, who evacuated from Pelican Narrows, about 500 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, is in a Saskatoon hotel with her husband and five kids. "It is stressful because we're not used to being in one little room — like, they're used to being in a house, and you could just go outside the house and play, but here you can't go outside because there's streets and traffic," Swan said. "I just tell them that it's only temporary, we'll go back home, because my daughter's like, 'Do we have a house?' — thinking there was fire in our community, and I said yes," Swan said. She said her children prefer speaking Cree and don't feel that comfortable talking with strangers in a city. Swan is the Saskatoon co-ordinator for evacuees from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation. In addition to helping with the needs of families scattered around at different hotels, she oversees a team of support staff who are organizing transportation for families from hotels to activities, including bouncy castles, laser tag, movies, concerts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders home opener. With no school and children's lives turned upside down, Swan said giving them something positive to focus on is important. "Even just going for ice cream, like soft ice cream, because we don't have that back home. So they're always asking for ice cream," Swan said. "And just driving around. Even just looking at the city, because of how big it is. They're amazed." Elizabeth Michel, who has worked at the school in Pelican Narrows for 31 years and is also a band councillor, is acting as a team leader at the Four Points by Sheraton, a hotel where many families are being housed. She's also caring for her seven-year-old granddaughter, Markaylee. On Wednesday, she went out to get craft supplies for the children. Her granddaughter is excited to get to do all of these activities, but "at night, she gets a little bit lonely," said Michel. "They've had activities for them throughout the week," Michel said. "At least every other day they take them to the zoo, they take them to the movies, they take them swimming or to the bouncy castles." There are also parks to go to, "just to keep them busy, just to keep them occupied so they're not lonely or bored," said Michel. 'Parents, take a break' A Facebook page that's being used to invite families to activities includes information on free tickets to various events. The Children's Festival of Saskatchewan, which is happening in Saskatoon this week, has donated 250 tickets to people who have had to leave their homes because of the wildfires. On Thursday, one post said: "Parents, take a break. We've got you!" It invited people to drop their children off at a Saskatoon hotel conference room for play time. "We'll keep them busy with crafts, fun and kindness while you take care of you," it promised. Rosann Bear accepted an offer to take her children to a free concert at the Saskatoon Forestry Farm. She relocated her son with special needs and medically-fragile daughter from Pelican Narrows to Saskatoon more than a week ago because the smoke was dangerous for her six-year-old daughter, who has lung disease. "This ain't our first rodeo," Bear said, noting they were evacuated due to wildfires last summer as well. "It is hard not being in our own comfort zone, but we're getting through it with all the help," she said. "I'm a little stressed, but I'm doing OK. I got it. I got this. Moms do that." Her son, Isaac Junior, popped his head up to the microphone to add: "I miss home." Sask. wildfire evacuee watched home burn in real time on security cameras 16 hours ago Duration 8:54 Cyndi Pedwell, who evacuated Denare Beach, Sask., and lost her home to the flames, says the wildfire devastated the bottom half of her community. Pedwell says that officials didn't act fast enough, adding 'I feel like we were neglected.'
