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CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Cranberry Portage evacuees return home to limited food access, medical care as Flin Flon remains empty
Social Sharing Residents from Cranberry Portage began returning to the northern Manitoba community on Saturday morning, two weeks after a wildfire knocked out its power and forced locals to evacuate to Winnipeg and The Pas. But some Cranberry Portage residents say they'll be returning limited access to essential supplies or medical care as the nearby city of Flin Flon remains under a mandatory evacuation order. On Friday, the Manitoba government announced that mandatory evacuation orders were being lifted for Cranberry Portage, Sherridon, Herb Lake Landing and Snow Lake. About 1,785 evacuees — about 440 of them from Cranberry Portage — could go home at 8 a.m. on Saturday, the province said. Evacuee Peter Thibodeau said he was among the first people to return to Cranberry Portage Saturday morning, but some others are staying where they are — many in Winnipeg or The Pas — until Flin Flon reopens. "A lot of people aren't coming back until they have to go grocery shopping. There's no grocery store here and Flin Flon is still closed," he said. Flin Flon is located about 35 kilometres northwest of Cranberry Portage, and is home to the closest grocery store and hospital to the community. Locals drive about 20 minutes north on Highway 10 to get their essentials in the city. Returning Cranberry Portage evacuees will now have to drive an hour south to The Pas to access grocery stores, medical care and other essentials until it's safe to return to Flin Flon. "They're just going to have to drive a little further for those services that they require," said Lori Forbes, emergency co-ordinator for the rural municipality of Kelsey. "Flin Flon will be open eventually, sooner than later I'm assuming, but I'm going to leave that up to them to make those decisions," she said. Irvin Head, who fled Cranberry Portage with his family on May 30, said he was surprised to hear residents could return to their homes Saturday. He's been in Winnipeg for the last two weeks and plans to stay longer. "We were sort of hunkering down for maybe a month's worth of waiting around," Head said. He said he's concerned that Cranberry Portage residents can return home while Flin Flon is still under an evacuation order. He said the community relies on services in the city, especially the hospital and grocery store, which both remain closed. "That's a big lifeline," Head said. "Even if we do go back … it'll still be a little bit of a 'what do we do?'" Returning residents happy to be home but prepared to leave Forbes said all of the structures in Cranberry Portage are intact, power has been restored and municipal services are running again. She said the local dump is also open, which will likely be in heavy use as some residents return to spoiled food in their refrigerators. "I think everyone is very fortunate up in Cranberry Portage. There [was] no structural damage. So they're going home to a community that's ready to receive them, get their lawns mowed, get some gardens put in, and carry on with everyday life," Forbes said. "I'm really glad to be able to tell these residents that they can head home today," Forbes told CBC News on Saturday. Thibodeau said "it's not really sunk in yet" that he's home. He said dandelions have sprouted up across everyone's lawns since they've been gone, so he plans to mow his lawn and catch up on errands before returning to work. Thibodeau was among the Cranberry Portage residents who were forced out by a fast-moving wildfire a year ago, so he said he's staying packed in case fire forces him out again soon. "I'm going to do some laundry and keep the bag ready," he said. While some residents are happy to be home, Head said his family has decided to stay in Winnipeg for now. He said the decision to leave the Cranberry Portage in the first place was ultimately about not having enough basic services for people and not a direct fire risk. "I would rather go home, especially after how much work it took to get some sort of support here [in Winnipeg]," he said.
CBC
07-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Some Manitoba wildfire evacuees say they're still waiting for promised financial help
Financial aid has been promised to help residents fleeing from wildfires in Manitoba, but some evacuees say there have been issues with the rollout, and they're stuck waiting for the money to start flowing. On Thursday, the province said evacuees are eligible for the daily stipend if they are a permanent resident of Manitoba, have a primary residence in a community under a mandatory evacuation order, and are registered as an evacuee with the Canadian Red Cross. The financial benefit — $34 daily for each person age 13 or older and $27 for those 12 and under — will be distributed through the Red Cross and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, the province says. A spokesperson told CBC News on Thursday evacuees would start receiving the first payment within three to five days, which would cover up to the first two weeks' worth of support, with future payments based on the duration of the evacuation orders. The province says the funds will be issued via e-transfer or a prepaid card. But Peter Thibodeau, a wildfire evacuee from Cranberry Portage, said the Red Cross has already told him he will need to travel to an evacuation centre in Winnipeg to pick up the stipend. Thibodeau was forced out of his house in Cranberry Portage, about 600 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, last Saturday after wildfires knocked down power and choked the air with heavy smoke. He evacuated to Peguis First Nation, north of Winnipeg, where he's been staying at his son's home. However, he has no money to cover his own food or get gas for his vehicle, he said. Thibodeau registered with the Red Cross last Sunday and said he's phoned them at least nine times in the last week to get more information about the financial support, but he hasn't been able to get much information. "I'm waiting for another manager to call me, and that's, like, two days ago now," he said Saturday. "Every person [has] a different message." He says he was first told the stipend would be sent via e-transfer, but then another person told him he needed to get it in Winnipeg. "I don't want to go to Winnipeg for nothing," he said. "What if I get there and I get no money?" The financial assistance — amounting to $238 per week for adult evacuees — is crucial, Thibodeau said. 'They are not helping' Thibodeau said the problems underscore a lack of preparedness to deal with the current emergency in Manitoba. "It's like you gotta beg for a little bit of help. I feel like giving up," Thibodeau said. Meanwhile, Linda Smith and Tom Allen, who have had to move four times in recent weeks, also say they haven't had any financial assistance from the Red Cross yet. "They are not helping," Smith said. The couple, who are from Flin Flon, were staying at a camper in Snow Lake until the town was put under a mandatory evacuation order Friday amid growing wildfires. The couple said Friday they planned to head to The Pas. While the Red Cross is offering help in larger centres like Winnipeg, Smith and Allen said they're hoping they can return home soon and don't want to travel that far south. "It has been hell," said Smith, who added the couple have applied for employment insurance benefits, "but we have to wait for 28 days." The situation is "frustrating," said Smith. Lori Osborne, who was forced out of Pimicikamak Cree Nation with her four children, is also waiting for financial help. She only found out about the stipend on Friday via social media, even though she has been out of her community for more than a week. The Red Cross has been helping with supplies for her children, like diapers and wipes, but Osborne said she wishes there had been better communication about the stipend, which she now expects to get Sunday. "There's all of this thing that I'm doing. I'm just learning as I go," she said. "I'm lost — sometimes I don't understand, but I'm trying to learn." CBC News reached out to the Red Cross for comment on Saturday. A spokesperson said in a statement Friday that the Red Cross continues to work closely with communities and government to provide support to wildfire evacuees, and information on the financial assistance program is available on the province's website. Donations to the Red Cross are being used to assist those impacted by wildfires including through financial assistance, the statement said.
