‘We’re on edge’: Manitoba community still under boil water advisory but some help is on the way

Alex Karpa visits Manitoba's Pimicikamak Cree Nation to get a firsthand look at the challenges the community is facing after devastating power outages.

More workers and heaters and are on the way to a beleaguered First Nation in northern Manitoba, where thousands have been forced out due to frozen pipes and sewage backups.

The community announced additional heaters are expected to arrive Monday and 30 more tradespeople are to follow.

Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias says the extent of the damage to more than 1,300 homes remains unclear nearly two weeks after a power outage led to the failure of critical infrastructure.

He says many holding tanks in homes remain frozen and testing will need to be done on water lines once they’re thawed.

‘We need infrastructure replaced’

David Monias says it’s not just the water treatment plants that have been impacted by the power outage.

“The sewage plant is pretty much non-existent, but it’s frozen underground. It’s going to thaw out, and it will go into the water, and into our intake system. We asked for it to be replaced,” he said on Wednesday.

“Water and sewage infrastructure is basically gone. They have outlived their life cycle already.”

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee agrees with Monias, and says the response needed requires all resources available.

“In order to address this crisis, there has to be external resources,” he said. “This is a national emergency. Our people are dying. Our people are suffering, and our people are in trauma.”

“This is a situation where the government must respond at the highest level to bring services and resources to address that trauma that exists, because it’s impacting everything,” he said.

The four-day power outage happened on Dec. 28, after a 300-metre-long power line running between two islands along the Nelson River broke.

The days without power caused much of the community’s water system to freeze, leading to pipes bursting and sewage backing up. Power was fully restored to the community Friday.

So far, 35 homes have been deemed uninhabitable, and one local plumber says an estimated 800 homes have been damaged, with still hundreds more to be looked at.

The community’s three water treatment plants are starting to operate again, but a pipe burst in one of the older facilities and water is now leaking in the building.

“I’m very stressed out. Hardly getting any sleep,” said Leon Garrick, who is the plant manager at the water treatment plant. “We eat when we can.”

Garrick says he and his team are working around the clock to get the facility running as normal as possible.

But the facility he works at was built in the early 90s, and most of the equipment is old.

Garrick says he has been forced to think outside of the box when it comes to fixing equipment in the facility.

“We have to make the fixes as we go,” he said. “Sometimes we have to use duct tape. We have no choice. We do what we can.”

The community is now under a boil water advisory until the necessary equipment is fixed, but Garrick is worried another power outage could take out the plant again, creating even more damage to the community.

He says there is no other choice but to replace the current plant.

“We need a new water plant, basically. This thing is outdated and expired. That’s why everything breaks,” he said.

Water and food are being flown to the community, over 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg, as supplies are low.

Workers have been collecting all the bottled water that was flown in and are distributing it to residents who remain in Pimicikamak.

They are also making food hampers for residents, which include flour, potatoes, eggs, rice, and other items. One worker confirmed to CTV News that over 500 hampers have been distributed since power was turned on last week.

Water is also shut off at several facilities, including the local school, arena and community centre. The health centre is running, but on limited water.

Water is now being pumped out of the nearby Nelson River to be used as potable water, which is drained into several trucks and delivered throughout the community.

Assessing the damage

On Wednesday, a delegation of federal, provincial and First Nations leaders travelled to Pimicikamak to assess the damage.

Monias has been calling on the federal government to deploy the Canadian Armed Forces to help with logistical support.

Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs Rebecca Chartrand was representing the federal government.

She said conversations are still happening about the military’s assistance.

“We have made the commitment that after this visit, we would meet again to assess the damage and what is the approach that is needed,” she said Wednesday.

“I’m not ruling out that the army won’t be deployed, but that is not my decision to make. We have heard it loud and clear and will likely be part of the conversation as we come back together after today.”

Over 4,000 people have been evacuated out of the community, and are staying in Winnipeg, Thompson, and Norway House and it’s not clear when they will be able to return.