Firearms damage found near power line that led to days-long outage: Manitoba Hydro

Manitoba Hydro says a preliminary investigation found firearms damage near a powerline that failed on Pimicikamak Cree Nation last month.

WINNIPEG — A preliminary examination into a days-long power outage that led to a water catastrophe in a northern First Nation found firearm damage near the power line, Manitoba Hydro said Monday.

The Crown-owned utility said an inspection of the wire that broke at the end of last month in Pimicikamak Cree Nation showed there was shotgun pellet damage to portions of the infrastructure, including the power line itself.

Several aerial markers used to alert aircraft were found damaged due to shotgun pellets.

Manitoba Hydro said while it has not been determined that the pellets caused the line to break, it is warning hunters and other firearm owners that shooting at electrical infrastructure can shorten its lifespan, cause outages and create safety risks.

Hydro workers have seen damage to infrastructure such as transformers, insulators and hydro poles, but shots fired at aerial markers is new.

“It was quite disturbing to find all that evidence of gunfire damage to areas (where) we haven’t seen it before,” spokesman Peter Chura said.

“We aren’t saying that is the cause of the outage. The cause is still under investigation, but any kind of damage like that can weaken a power line.”

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The First Nation, located 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg, was without power for about four days when a 300-metre-long power line running between two islands in the Nelson River broke.

The power went out during a cold snap, resulting in ruptured pipes, the evacuation of 4,400 residents from the area and the deployment of the Canadian Armed Forces to help get one of the community’s water treatment plants and its sewage plant back online.

Pimicikamak’s leader has previously said that it is likely every one of the 1,300 homes in the community will require some sort of repair.

Chura said crews have canvassed portions of the line that were not part of the break and discovered similar damage to other aerial marker balls.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we’re going to replace those lines,” he said. “Once we salvage those three other lines, then we can examine them closely to see if there are actual shock and pellets in those lines.”

Manitoba Hydro plans to work with Pimicikamak on replacing the old lines, which will require a planned outage that could last hours.

The community has called for the utility to move the power line out of concern for aging infrastructure and its accessibility.

Premier Wab Kinew has committed to asking the Crown utility to review its response to the power outage and to consider moving the community’s power line.

He declined to comment on Manitoba Hydro’s discovery at an unrelated news conference on Monday.

Chura said there is no way to tell how old the damage to the lines and aerial markers is.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2025.