Latest news with #NorthernManitoba
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Wildfire upheaval forces cancellation of Thompson's annual Nickel Days festival
Social Sharing One of northern Manitoba's biggest weekend festivals has been cancelled this year due to the wildfire state of emergency in the province. Thompson's annual Nickel Days was scheduled to take place June 19-22 with a headliner concert by country music star Dean Brody, but the emergency situation in the province called for "a difficult decision," said Jennifer Thackeray, the event's president. "We've had unprecedented wildfires and evacuations in northern Manitoba. Because of this, we felt for the safety and well-being of all residents of northern Manitoba, to cancel Nickel Days," she said. "We did not make this decision lightly." The event is a big deal not just for those in Thompson, but the entire northern region around it, Thackeray said. The city has a population of just over 13,000 and the event's total gate count over the weekend ranges from 15,000-20,000 each year, she said. "So it's basically the whole north that's affected by this decision, but that's what we had to do. We felt that was the most responsible course of action." Manitoba is experiencing the worst wildfire season in recent memory, with about 21,000 evacuees from 27 communities registered with the Canadian Red Cross as of June 9. There are 29 active wildfires and a total of 116 this year to date. "Our thoughts are with all of those who have been impacted by the wildfires and evacuations. Everyone, please stay safe," Thackeray said. Thompson is not threatened by fire but much of the region is. Just 120 kilometres to the south are the Cross Lake fires, which are almost 59,000 hectares combined, while 110 kilometres northeast of Thompson is the Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake) fire, which is nearly 22,000 hectares. About 185 kilometres west of Thompson, there's a 55,000-hectare fire near Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan), while 220 kilometres southwest of Thompson is the massive, united Sherridon and Flin Flon blaze, at nearly 308,000 hectares. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for Pimicikamak Cree Nation and the incorporated community of Cross Lake, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, the city of Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Sherridon, Herb Lake Landing, Grass River Provincial Park and Wekusko Falls Provincial Park, Big Island Lake, Schist Lake, the Little Athapapuskow cottage area, Lake Athapapuskow, Payuk Lake, Twin Lake, Whitefish, White Lake (northwest region) and Bakers Narrows Provincial Park. Nickel Days started in the early 1960s as a small summer festival with a parade and circus and has only been cancelled once before — due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It partnered with the National King Miner competition in 1972 and adopted the present name as a tribute to the nickel deposits that led to the creation of Thompson in the 1950s. The modern event includes a midway with rides and games, vendors, concerts and other stage shows, beer gardens, family games, a parade, a social, various sporting events and, of course, the National King Miner competition, in which miners compete in a series of events, like drilling, pipefitting and ladder climbing. While fire isn't a worry for Thompson, the air quality is impacted by smoke from the fires, Thackeray said. "And right now, non-essential travel is not particularly recommended. You don't want to get … people into Thompson and then not be able to get them out again if the roads are closed," she said. "Basically it was for the safety of all that we had to cancel the event." The festival is held in the lot of the Thompson Recreation Centre, which added another wrinkle, as that facility is hosting evacuees. "Obviously we're not going to displace evacuees to have a community festival," Thackeray said. Organizers will soon be in touch with all of the corporate sponsors to iron things out, and information will be posted in the upcoming weeks about the process for refunds for anyone who purchased Dean Brody tickets.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Drizzle in northern Manitoba not enough to quench wildfires as community leaders hope for downpour
As evacuees fleeing wildfires in northern Manitoba watched rain fall in parts of the province on Sunday, community leaders are warning the north needs heavier downpour to help firefighters on the ground. Lori Forbes, emergency co-ordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, said Sunday's rain didn't fall where it was needed most. "We did get the rain in The Pas but we need the rain in the north. We need the rain where the fires are to help the firefighters," Forbes said. She said The Pas was about 100 kilometres away from the fire on Sunday afternoon. According to the province's most recent fire bulletin on Sunday, the wildfire near Sherridon is more than 300,000 hectares in size and is still out of control. "The further north you went, the less rain there was," Forbes said. The eight-degree temperatures are helping fire crews, she said, but it's windy and the weather is "changing very quickly." Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine said he has been staying with his son in Winnipeg since the northern Manitoba city was evacuated nearly two weeks ago. Fontaine told CBC News that Saturday was a cooler day with calmer winds, allowing crews to wet down areas near the town and put out some hot spots. However, the weather and fire behaviour has been unpredictable, he said. "I don't know that we can say what's going to happen, but I'm hoping for rain, I'll tell you that," Fontaine said from Winnipeg, as a heavy downpour was hitting the pavement just before 4 p.m. CT. "Well, if they got there, what we're getting here today, that would be a lovely thing," he said. Sheryl Matheson, Sherridon's deputy mayor and president of Northern Association of Community Councils, said there was light rain in the area that caused a lot of smoke. "It wasn't a significant amount of rain that was coming down. It needs to turn into more of a downpour," she said. She said the drizzle has been keeping the ground wet, but it isn't enough to help crews battling the fire. "We're praying for a downpour," Matheson said. Find the latest wildfire information at these sources: Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Drizzle in northern Manitoba not enough to quench wildfires as community leaders hope for downpour
Social Sharing As evacuees fleeing wildfires in northern Manitoba watched rain fall in parts of the province on Sunday, community leaders are warning the north needs heavier downpour to help firefighters on the ground. Lori Forbes, emergency co-ordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, said Sunday's rain didn't fall where it was needed most. "We did get the rain in The Pas but we need the rain in the north. We need the rain where the fires are to help the firefighters," Forbes said. She said The Pas was about 100 kilometres away from the fire on Sunday afternoon. According to the province's most recent fire bulletin on Sunday, the wildfire near Sherridon is more than 300,000 hectares in size and is still out of control. "The further north you went, the less rain there was," Forbes said. The eight-degree temperatures are helping fire crews, she said, but it's windy and the weather is "changing very quickly." Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine said he has been staying with his son in Winnipeg since the northern Manitoba city was evacuated nearly two weeks ago. Fontaine told CBC News that Saturday was a cooler day with calmer winds, allowing crews to wet down areas near the town and put out some hot spots. However, the weather and fire behaviour has been unpredictable, he said. "I don't know that we can say what's going to happen, but I'm hoping for rain, I'll tell you that," Fontaine said from Winnipeg, as a heavy downpour was hitting the pavement just before 4 p.m. CT. "Well, if they got there, what we're getting here today, that would be a lovely thing," he said. Sheryl Matheson, Sherridon's deputy mayor and president of Northern Association of Community Councils, said there was light rain in the area that caused a lot of smoke. "It wasn't a significant amount of rain that was coming down. It needs to turn into more of a downpour," she said. She said the drizzle has been keeping the ground wet, but it isn't enough to help crews battling the fire. "We're praying for a downpour," Matheson said.
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
Tataskweyak wildfire evacuees in Thompson 'meeting place' hoping to reconnect with family all over
Social Sharing Grace Beardy's youngest child was born in Takaskweyak Cree Nation on May 19, Victoria Day. Ten days later, power in the community was out. The boy was about two weeks old when he became an evacuee. "It was sad, especially going through postpartum and carrying the little one," Beardy said Wednesday. "I was alone out there with him for four days, until my sister came." Tataskweyak, also known as Split Lake, declared a state of emergency on May 29, with a wildfire only about a kilometre away from the northern Manitoba First Nation. Beardy and her three children were among the more than 2,400 Tataskweyak residents forced to leave their homes because of the fire. Northern Manitoba evacuees frustrated with lack of resources, information 4 hours ago Duration 2:33 Many evacuees fleeing wildfires in northern Manitoba say they're feeling a mix of emotions, from confusion and frustration to exhaustion. Over the past week, 2,400 residents of Tataskweyak Cree Nation were forced from their homes, and many are now trying to find refuge wherever they can. "There was buses coming in and they were just loading people up," said Melanie Spence, who was in Thompson for a day trip as the evacuation began. "People were kind of hesitant to go," she said. "They didn't know how big the fire was going to be there. They were hoping that it [would] be put out every day. We've never seen anything like this." PR 280 connecting the community to Thompson on the west and Gillam to the east is the only road servicing Tataskweyak. The road was closed off last week because of the fire. With the way home blocked off, Spence decided to help evacuees who ended up in Thompson, which is about a 100 kilometres southwest of the community, as the crow flies. She's been directing people to the city's Wawatay Inn, which is owned by Tataskweyak and usually serves people coming for medical appointments. "It's the closest thing to home," she said. "They serve food here. So I figured, well, this will be … the meeting place." Duke Beardy, an economic development officer with the First Nation, said the facility is open to evacuees from Tataskweyak as well as other communities. "There's people from Lynn Lake here too, and Nelson House too.… If there's room, then they stay here too," he said. But with only 18 rooms, space at the inn is limited. 'It's been chaos' Sylvia Saunders said about seven people in her party — including a baby and a toddler — were staying in the same room at the inn as of Wednesday. "It's been chaos for everybody here. Still a lot of people don't have rooms," Saunders said. "I did manage to fit everyone in there and to try and have a comfortable sleep." Saunders said people have resorted to sleeping in couches at the inn's lobby because of the lack of rooms. Edwin Beardy said the situation is already stressful enough. "It's frustrating as well as sad because of family, … they're all over," he said. "From what I'm hearing, my family, some of them are in Gillam, some of them in Winnipeg and a few are in Niagara Falls…. It's hard." Grace Beardy, who was also staying at the inn as of Wednesday, said she was waiting to connect with family who ended up in Winnipeg. Leaving the community "was cold and sad," she said. "But I couldn't be sad in front of my kids. I had to stay strong." The fire at Tataskweyak was about 21,000 hectares as of the latest provincial fire bulletin Friday.
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Snow Lake under mandatory evacuation order due to wildfires
The northern Manitoba town is the latest in a string of communities that have been evacuated because of wildfires. More than 18,000 people in the province are now out of their homes.
