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Global News
6 days ago
- Climate
- Global News
‘Keep the faith': Snow Lake residents evacuated for 2nd time in weeks due to wildfires
The mayor of a town in northern Manitoba that has been evacuated for a second time due to encroaching wildfires says it's been tough on the emotions and mental well-being of the community. Ron Scott, mayor of Snow Lake, told Global Winnipeg that it has been frustrating for the town of just over 1,000 people, located more than 680 kilometres north of Winnipeg, is frustrated — especially after its residents thought they were out of the woods mere weeks ago. 'That (first) fire was coming at us very quickly from the northwest, and the weather changed and it stalled,' Scott said. 'We thought, 'OK, we're safe, we can bring everybody back' … and then about two and a half weeks later, we're back at it again.' 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 The current blaze, he said, is once again on Snow Lake's doorstep, and residents are concerned about it spreading into the community. Story continues below advertisement 'It really depends on the winds. We've got drought conditions, very low humidity, so a lot will depend on the winds and what nature throws at us. 'I encourage everyone to keep the faith — we've got an absolutely amazing crew of professional and volunteer firefighters, from a number of communities, in Snow Lake.' As of Friday morning, Scott said, fire crews had been able to hold the blaze off around the perimeter of a nearby mineral mine, but it remains about two kilometres from the town itself. The province remains under a state of emergency, and as of Thursday afternoon, officials said Manitoba was combating 124 active fires, bringing this year's total to 333 — well above the average of 252 for this time of year.
Global News
23-07-2025
- Climate
- Global News
‘Getting pretty bleak': Drought conditions lead to agricultural disaster for Interlake RMs
A number of rural municipalities in Manitoba's Interlake region are raising alarm bells about drought conditions and the effect they're having on local producers. The RM of Coldwell, which includes the town of Lundar, is the latest to declare a state of agricultural disaster, while the RMs of Woodlands and St. Laurent have declared states of agricultural emergency. Coldwell reeve Virgil Johnson told Global Winnipeg that a dearth of rain has producers in the region's cattle industry scrambling. 'In the last two weeks, it has really showed up — the pressure on the cattle industry here,' he said. 'We were all hoping for some rain, and the forecast told us we were going to get a sizable amount, but as it came to the rain days it just disappeared, basically. Story continues below advertisement 'Right now the cattle situation around here is getting kind of dire.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Johnson said cattle farmers are moving their animals from pasture to pasture, but the pastures aren't having the opportunity to recover the way they have in previous years. '(In) a normal year, you could swing them around back to that same pasture you took them out of … and this year, that's not happening anywhere in the RM. Once they're done with that pasture, there's basically no recovery, and farmers only have so much pasture. It's getting pretty bleak.' The municipality has been in communication with the provincial agriculture minister, Johnson said, in hopes of finding a solution, and is reaching out to the minister's federal counterpart as well. 'It's not looking good when farmers are averaging probably 25 per cent, and some are lucky to have a little bit more — but what industry can survive on a 25 per cent feed stock compared to a normal year? 'Any help for the producer is going to be a little bit of a burden off their backs.' Global News has reached out to both the provincial and federal governments for a response.
Global News
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Winnipeg Pokémon prodigy, 12, set to take card-playing prowess to world championships
A young Winnipegger is going international with a very particular skill — all before finishing elementary school. Era Roulette, 12, is a world-class player of the Pokémon trading card game, frequently beating players twice her age in local competitions. Her success at Winnipeg game nights led to competing across Canada and the U.S., and has helped her punch her ticket to the Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, Calif. It's a huge step for Era, who learned the game only five years ago, and a chance to compete on the biggest stage there is for Pokémon players. Her father Cody Roulette told Global Winnipeg he initially introduced her to Pokémon cards at a very young age to help her learn some educational basics. 'I would use Pokémon cards as a way, when she was a toddler, to introduce her to numbers, to introduce her to reading, writing,' he said. Story continues below advertisement 'And just growing up, she was kind of surrounded by that.' 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 Roulette said he bought Era her first competitive set of cards at a local comic shop when she was around seven or eight years old, which began the journey that is taking the family to California in mid-August. 'When you have something that starts off as an excuse to bond with your kid and she ends up being one of the best at this hobby, how can you not feel something about that?' Era said the local Pokémon community has been incredibly supportive since the news broke that she qualified for the big championship, and that she appreciates the support of her fellow local Pokémon enthusiasts. 'It's a friendship … how people are willing to support, even if they don't know who you are, but they're interested,' she said. 'It's just really nice. It's kind. It's, in my opinion, more like you're friends with them.' Despite that friendliness, she didn't get to such a high level without shocking a few adult players with her Pokémon prowess. Mark Larson of Manitoba TCG, a local game store, told Global Winnipeg he started hearing Era's name around the community. 'I'd ask, 'How good is Era?' I'd ask some of the adults, and they'd say, 'She kicks my butt at the game'… so yeah, she's pretty good.' Story continues below advertisement The championship, which runs from Aug. 15 to 17, gives competitors a chance to win prizes and cash — from a combined prize pool of more than $2 million — as well as bragging rights as the best in the game.
Global News
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Global News
Encroaching wildfires lead to 2nd evacuation for Snow Lake, Man.
Many residents of a northern Manitoba community will make a long drive — almost seven hours — to Winnipeg Thursday as they flee nearby wildfires. Snow Lake is under a mandatory evacuation order for the second time this year, with residents needing to get out of the area by noon. Mayor Ron Scott told Global Winnipeg there are two nearby wildfires, and recent weather hasn't been making things any easier. The latest analysis by the Manitoba Wildfire Service, Scott said, shows that gusty winds are expected to push the flames eight kilometres closer to Snow Lake on Thursday. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy '(The fire) to the west has been developing for some time, we've had very hot and dry conditions, and high winds, particularly yesterday, which were driving the fire to the north,' he said, 'and the winds are now changing.' Story continues below advertisement Although evacuating for the second time is frustrating for the members of his community, Scott said the fact that they've been through it all before means there's been some valuable experience gained. 'Unfortunately, we had to evacuate a month ago, but crews that stayed behind managed to get an awful lot of prep work done, so we're in better shape now to deal with whatever nature throws at us in the coming days,' he said. Evacuees are being urged to stay with friends and family or go to the Leila Soccer Complex in Winnipeg. 'Hopefully, we'll dodge this one as well and everyone can go back home and get on with their lives,' the mayor said.
Global News
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Global News
CFL has momentum, but ‘not sustainable' with only 2 teams turning a profit, commissioner says
Winnipeg is a strong football market, the CFL's commissioner says, but the host of this year's Grey Cup is an outlier when it comes to other cities in the league. Stewart Johnston told Global Winnipeg that while television ratings, game-day revenue and attendance are all up across the board for the league, it's not all rosy for Canadian football. 'There's lots of momentum, but at the same time we need to continue to think about ways to drive revenue. 'Seven of nine teams did not make money last year,' Johnston said. 'That's not a sustainable business model. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'So we've got to focus on the business of the game. To do that, I want to think about entertainment — whether that's game product and presentation itself, or social media, digital content, the platforms that we're using. Story continues below advertisement The two profitable teams, Johnston said, are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Prairie rivals the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Johnston, who was appointed to the league's top job in April, said a major part of getting more people in the seats is fostering early love for the game among potential new fan and to grow the fandom around the sport. 'I look at what happens here in Manitoba, and it really is a shining example of development of young kids — in flag football and then into contact football. 'I think once you touch a football, once you play it, catch it, throw it, run with it, understand tactics … you will fall in love, because it's that great a sport.'
