No timeline for return to Manitoba First Nation after power outage, chief says

Although power has been restored to Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Chief David Monias said it will take millions of dollars to repair homes and infrastructure.

The chief of a Manitoba First Nation says there is no timeline for thousands of people to return home after they were forced out because of a power outage more than a week ago.

Manitoba Hydro fully restored power Friday to Pimicikamak Cree Nation, about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg, but its water plants, pumps, tanks and pipes froze after an outage Dec. 28.

The more than 4,000 people forced to leave the community are eager to go home after having to spend part of the holiday season in hotels in different parts of the province, Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias said.

“They’re messaging me saying, ‘We want to go home, we are lonely for our home,”’ he said in a phone interview Monday.

“Everybody is scattered everywhere from Thompson to Winnipeg.”

The frozen water system, as well as the pipes that have burst, has destroyed homes and affected the community’s infrastructure, he said, putting people’s well-being at risk.

This is the fourth time in five years residents have had to leave home because of wildfires and extreme weather, Monias added.

“It has been awful.”

He said some entertainment was hired for families at hotels to help them celebrate the new year.

“We were trying to get some kind of normalcy, I guess, to their lives again, but it’s hard to do in the hotel,” he said.

“We’re not OK at all, and people think that we are OK because we’re a big community, but a lot has been done to our infrastructure.”

The community was without power for about four days last week. Manitoba Hydro has said it started after the breaking of a 300-metre-long line that runs between two islands in the Nelson River, where the ice had not been thick enough to support vehicles.

The Crown corporation said it supplied a large generator to restore power to a water treatment plant, as well as generators to power eight heavy-duty heaters for the community’s use.

However, Monias has said water also seeped into the sockets of some homes, with at least four fires in the community so far since the outage. He said about 35 homes are now uninhabitable.

The chief has been calling on the province to declare a state of emergency so Pimicikamak can receive immediate help. He has also asked for the deployment of the Canadian Armed Forces for emergency logistical support, including water delivery and sanitation work.

Monias said he has asked the province to declare a state of emergency at least three times in the last week.

“I don’t understand why they don’t recognize my state of emergency to make things happen,” he said.

“We’ve been getting all kinds of excuses.”

The Manitoba government said it has made a request to the federal government for military assistance for the Pimicikamak Cree Nation.

“Although power has been restored to the community, the province continues to be in direct contact with Pimicikamak leadership regarding the supports they need,” the province said in an emailed statement Monday.

It said the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization is working closely with Manitoba Hydro, Indigenous Services Canada, Canadian Red Cross and other agencies to provide help and “keep all Manitobans affected by this outage safe.”

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, an Indigenous advocacy group, said Premier Wab Kinew and other officials are scheduled to travel to Pimicikamak Cree Nation on Wednesday to view the damage caused by the power outage.

Monias said in the meantime, the eight plumbers in his community have been working around the clock to fix the damage.

There is also a logistics team there assessing the scope of the damage and the work needed to be done before people can return home, Monias said.

But through this difficult time, he said his community is thankful for all the people who have stepped up to help with donations and supplies.

“There are people with really good hearts.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2026.

-- By Daniela Germano in Edmonton