Latest news with #CornellMcLean
CBC
08-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Fire caused by burning cardboard in First Nation under control as Manitoba brings in wildfire restrictions
An Interlake First Nation declared a state of emergency this week over the threat of a grass fire police say was caused by someone burning cardboard, as the provincial government enacts restrictions meant to reduce wildfire risk across Manitoba amid rising temperatures and lack of significant rain. Cornell McLean, chief of Lake Manitoba First Nation and chair of the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council, said the fire that started Wednesday threatened about 16 homes and required help from fire departments in the communities of Ashern, Eriksdale and Pinaymootang First Nation. "It started very small, but got very big, very quick," McLean said in an interview Thursday, estimating the fire grew to about 200 hectares. "It's very dry right now.… Very, very dry. We need some moisture and some rain and, you know, hopefully Mother Nature listens to us and it provides that." McLean said by Thursday fire was under control, and crews were just putting out hot spots. The community wasn't forced to evacuate, but it did open up its band hall for members with breathing problems. Manitoba RCMP confirmed their Ashern detachment responded to a call about a grass fire in Lake Manitoba First Nation around 9 p.m. Wednesday, which a spokesperson said was caused by a man from the community burning cardboard when it got out of control. The 55-year-old was charged with arson and mischief over $5,000 and released pending a court date, Cpl. Melanie Roussel said in an email Thursday. The Interlake Reserves Tribal Council said Wednesday it was adding Lake Manitoba First Nation to its recent declaration of a state of emergency in response to wildfire threat, which McLean said Thursday he expected to be lifted later in the day. The council had previously declared a state of emergency on Monday as wildfires threatened the communities of Peguis First Nation, Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation and part of Pinaymootang First Nation, but said Thursday those communities now have their fires under control. New restrictions coming The Manitoba Wildfire Service also announced a list of new restrictions starting Friday morning, including a ban on all motorized backcountry travel in response to a high danger of fire in the province's southeast and Interlake regions. Those changes are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Friday as part of the province's Level 1 fire and travel restrictions, the Manitoba Wildfire Service said in a news release Thursday. They affect areas 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8, which include the following provincial parks: Whiteshell. Spruce Woods. Beaudry. St. Ambroise Beach. Stephenfield. Birds Hill. Lake St. Andrews. Lake St. George. A map of the affected area is available on the province's website. The Level 1 fire and travel restrictions include a total ban of all motorized backcountry travel, including ATVs and other off-road vehicles, during all hours. The province said there will also be a ban on fires between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and fires outside of those hours must be in an approved campfire pit. All motorized backcountry travel to access remote cottages via a forestry road, private road or trail will also require a travel permit issued by Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures. Industry and outfitters should contact that department's local offices for more information, the province said. The province urged people to exercise caution and comply with all posted restrictions to prevent wildfires. Failure to comply could result in prosecution under the Manitoba Wildfires Act with fines of up to $100,000 depending on the severity of the offence. Provincial burn permits issued under the Wildfires Act in the eastern and Interlake regions are also cancelled, and will not be issued until fire danger conditions improve, the province said. However, burn permits for essential agricultural, municipal or industrial operations may be considered with the approval of an officer and will include a site inspection with strict conditions. Many municipalities have also implemented their own burning restrictions this spring, the province said, urging people to check with their local municipal office or view the interactive burning restrictions map. No burning permits will be issued for areas within or bordering any municipality where burning restrictions are already in place, and permits are required for fireworks and sky lanterns from April 1 to Nov. 15, the province said. More restrictions could still be brought in if fire danger levels increase or if conditions change significantly, the province said. The province is scheduled to give a wildfire season update at 1:30 p.m.
CBC
04-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Interlake tribal council withdraws from 2 Manitoba sports groups, cites lack of supports for young athletes
Social Sharing The chair of a tribal council representing seven First Nations communities in Manitoba's Interlake region says his group has received more financial support from a charity associated with the Toronto Blue Jays than it has from two major provincial sports organizations. The Interlake Reserves Tribal Council withdrew from Sport Manitoba and Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council, citing frustration with both organizations and saying both have paid poor attention to the needs of their athletes and communities, a news release said Thursday. The tribal council represents seven First Nations communities about 190 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba: Kinonjeoshtegon, Peguis, Lake Manitoba, Pinaymootang, Little Saskatchewan, Lake St. Martin and Dauphin River. Lake Manitoba First Nation Chief Cornell McLean, who chairs the tribal council, says the two sports organizations have shown a lack of accountability when it comes to supporting athletes from their communities. "There's no relationship," he told CBC News on Thursday. The tribal council has received more financial support from the Toronto-based Jays Care Foundation — which helped create a recreational softball league for IRTC's seven communities — than it has from the two sporting organizations, McLean said. "The main priority here for us is that we want to be included, not excluded, from Sport Manitoba," he said. A spokesperson for Sport Manitoba declined to comment on this story. The Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council has not yet responded to CBC's requests for comment. The organization, also known as MASRC, aims to connect Manitoba's sports sector with Indigenous communities in the province in order to develop sustainable programs that enhance sporting and recreational opportunities for Indigenous people in Manitoba, its website states. Rural Interlake 'forgotten about' Many of the communities represented by the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council were impacted by severe flooding in 2011, which forced thousands of people from their homes and often left few play options for children and youth, said Karl Zadnik, CEO of the tribal council. The tribal council has run free basketball training camps for children and youth of its member communities over the last six years, but neither Sport Manitoba nor MASRC have financially supported them, despite the council's efforts to secure funding, Zadnik said. "Our requests have fallen on deaf ears," he told CBC News. The tribal council will re-evaluate how sports and recreation are handled within its communities and explore alternative ways of supporting athletes, the news release said. "We're better off taking care of our own sporting dollars [and] initiatives housed within our own communities, as it seems that the rural area of the Interlake region is forgotten about," said Zadnik. Zadnik says the tribal council plans to speak with Sport Canada representatives and the federal sport minister about the issue following the federal election later this month. Both Zadnik and McLean said they want to see the two Manitoba sporting organizations try to identify service gaps alongside the tribal council. Zadnik said the tribal council would ultimately like to work on a solution with both organizations. "If they wanted to change their tune and how they approach us, we'd be willing to sit down with Sport Manitoba and MASRC and figure out a path forward, so that our people are not neglected any further."
