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Winnipeg Free Press
14-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Two months after evacuation, lodge remains empty
It has been two months since Joe Hnatishin stayed at the lodge he owns in eastern Manitoba, owing to an evacuation necessitated by a large wildfire. It's also been two months since a paying guest slept at Wallace Lake Lodge. Hnatishin and his visitors were forced leave the lodge, at the edge of Atikaki Provincial Wilderness Park, on May 13, one day after it had opened for the season. Although the main lodge was closed, Hnatishin still had some revenue from four fly-in outpost camps. That dried up this weekend when the province closed down the area where they are located because of the fire danger. 'All you can do is just watch the weather and see what improves,' he said Monday. 'Usually we run until the middle of October, so we are hoping we will still have time to get in and get moving again.' Hnatishin said he doesn't expect the government to step in and help lodge owners recoup some of their losses. 'I'm not holding my breath for either the federal or provincial governments,' he said. 'They don't seem to have any interest with us.' This year's combination of wildfires, evacuations, and closures of wide swaths of the province have left dozens of fishing lodges, whether fly-in or connected by roads, hurt financially. Summer, usually the most lucrative season as American guests visit to fish, has turned into a season of forced vacancies of days, weeks or, as in the case of Wallace Lake, months. 'Everybody is struggling. There will be a substantial loss this year.'– Don Lamont, executive director of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association Don Lamont, executive director of the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association, said out of 67 member lodges in the province, 45 have been closed for various periods of time because of wildfires. Lamont said the association is waiting to see if the province will help. He noted lodges help inject $566 million annually into the Manitoba economy. 'Everybody is struggling,' he said. 'There will be a substantial loss this year. 'This is just unbelievable. We've never seen anything like this summer. I like what the government has said so far, but that was two weeks ago and all hell has broken loose since then.' Tourism Minister Nellie Kennedy said last month a recently announced tax deferral program covers all Manitoba businesses affected by wildfires and, as far as new programs for affected businesses, 'we're still (at the) beginning of the wildfire season. We're just going to manage things as they continue to happen.' Kennedy added the government's first priority is help people to evacuate safely and work to assist Manitobans to get back to their communities. A provincial government spokesperson said Monday it was still too early for the government to consider announcing disaster relief with the province's second state of emergency this season still in place. Bryan Bogdan, owner of Wekusko Lake Lodge near Snow Lake, said he has guests, but they aren't his regular ones. 'We have firefighters staying here now,' he said. With Snow Lake and Wekusko Falls Provincial Park under mandatory evacuation orders — due to a large out-of-control fire about 20 kilometres from the community — the lodge is considered an essential service. 'We don't know about next week yet because we don't know what to tell (guests) yet.'– Bryan Bogdan, owner of Wekusko Lake Lodge near Snow Lake Bogdan said he will still look to file an insurance claim for lost business this year. 'We shut down a month ago and now we're shut again — this time we had a night's notice,' he said. 'The first time, we lost two weeks of revenue, but because they only insure you for mandatory evacuations, that was half a week. We don't know how long this evacuation will be.' Because of this, Bogdan said he waits until mid-week, to see what's happening with wildfires and evacuations, before cancelling bookings for the following week. 'We don't know about next week yet because we don't know what to tell them yet,' he said. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. As for Hnatishin, while the fire has damaged the financial side of his business, he is holding on to at least two positive things. 'It was caused by lightning,' he said. 'It was good to hear that it wasn't human — almost all of them have been started that way. 'And it hasn't burned any of the shore line of our lake. That's good because, on the road south of us, from Bird River all the way up to north of Long Lake, it is all burnt. 'It looks like a war zone.' Kevin RollasonReporter Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press's city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin. Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
31-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Extremely challenging' start to summer tourism season
Manitoba entrepreneurs fleeing wildfires share a similar question: will my business be standing when I return? Evacuations are occurring as the summer tourism season ramps up. For some, it's their largest or only money-making period. At least 80 tourism assets have been affected by wildfires, per Travel Manitoba tracking data. 'Flin Flon, we rely on tourism all summer long,' said Dawn Hlady, speaking by phone while driving to a hotel in Saskatoon. SUPPLIED Wildfires burn this week near Wanless, north of The Pas, in western Manitoba. According to the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association, eight of its members have been affected by fires, but none 'have been lost.' Hlady owns Big Island Drive-In, an outdoor cinema in the city of Flin Flon, some 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. The attraction typically opens in May and closes in October. The first two weekends this year were hits, Hlady relayed. Roughly 700 people came out — Manitobans from all corners — to watch A Minecraft Movie on the May holiday long weekend. Flin Flon residents have since been ordered to evacuate; they're among more than 17,000 Manitobans told to leave their northern communities. Hlady, like her neighbours, is unsure when she'll return or what she'll return to. Big Island Drive-In sits within a forest. 'There's a big risk of losing it,' Hlady said, voice heavy with emotion. 'We hope that it's still standing in some sort of way or another.' It's a hope Joe Buie shares as he thinks of the Flin Flon Station Museum. He's chairman of the hub, which was converted from the city's original train station. 'We're at the edge of town. The forest is just right there,' Buie said, describing the location. The museum opens in the summer and welcomes locals and international visitors. It shares a campground with the Blueberry Jam music festival. 'A lot of our history is located in this museum,' Buie said. 'A lot of it can't be replaced.' Board members plan to open the doors upon their return home. But that's a later concern; for now, Buie has been focused on his family, ensuring everyone arrives safely in Brandon. Hlady, too, was separated from loved ones — her husband stayed in Flin Flon on Friday afternoon to feed first responders. The couple owns a Chicken Chef franchise. 'The situation is obviously extremely challenging,' said Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce. 'It's challenging for residents that have to leave their homes and hopefully they're coming home to a house — and it's the same for business owners.' From a private-sector perspective, there's lost revenue to grapple with and employees temporarily without jobs, Davidson noted. He mentioned Jasper, Alta.: many entrepreneurs lost their businesses, or faced new debt, following a 2024 blaze. Travel Manitoba has reviewed its social media pages and marketing to ensure it isn't directing people to wildfire-ravaged areas, said Linda Whitfield, vice-president of communications and stakeholder engagement. She's talked with a tourism operator who's lost 'tens of thousands' of dollars in business as unsafe conditions led to cancelled bookings. 'Think of those areas once this has been dealt with and we're back to a safe situation,' Whitfield said. 'Those tourism operators will definitely need the help and need the support.' The Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association has been keeping tabs on its membership. Around eight companies have been affected by wildfires — largely in the Whiteshell and Nopiming regions, executive director Don Lamont said. 'As far as we know, none (of the lodges) have been lost, none have been burnt down,' he said. 'It's an ongoing situation, very fluid.' He's checked on entrepreneurs in Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage and Clearwater Lake. Anglers have booked fishing trips; following the province's state of emergency declaration Wednesday, many reservations were cancelled. 'It's a very scary situation and a lot of our outfitters are at risk,' Lamont said. '(And) it's a big loss. This is on top of what happened for two years of COVID (pandemic).' Owners are keeping customers updated about their lodges' status. There's still plenty of demand from American tourists, Lamont and Whitfield noted. And there's a need to remind tourists Manitoba is safe for travel in many areas, Whitfield said. 'Oftentimes, what happens is there's … this general perception that, 'Well, all of Manitoba is on fire.'' She's heard such comments when other provinces, like British Columbia, have faced wildfire emergencies. 'We don't want people to forget about places like Riding Mountain National Park, for example, or Spruce Woods,' Whitfield said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Several businesses outside wildfire zones have been supporting evacuees, including providing free activities and space for camper vans. The Lakeview Inn in Lac du Bonnet collected donations — such as clothes and cases of bottled water — for local evacuees earlier this month. Nearby organizations did the same, according to Lakewood Inn manager Julianna Abdilla. The Lakeview Inn ran out of space for donations. It's forwarding hand-outs to women's shelters and non-profits. 'I've just seen the community come together so fast,' Abdilla said. 'I'm very proud to live here and work here.' Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
