Manitoba Métis Federation assists wildfire evacuees with needed supplies

The Manitoba Métis Federation is among the organizations collecting donations to help Manitoba wildfire evacuees.

With roughly 17,000 people being evacuated in northern Manitoba due to ongoing wildfire danger, various supports have been put in place to assist the evacuees.

The Manitoba government noted on Sunday that congregate shelters have been set up in Winnipeg, Thompson, Winkler and Portage la Prairie.

“The hotels are already full across Manitoba,” said Premier Wab Kinew during a press conference last Wednesday.

In Winnipeg, Billy Mosienko Arena (709 Keewatin Street), Eric Coy Arena (535 Oakdale Drive), Century Arena (1377 Clarence Avenue) and the Winnipeg Soccer Federation North facility (770 Leila Avenue) have been closed to the public to be used for emergency shelters or reception areas.

The City of Winnipeg stated that all programming and rentals at those sites are suspended until further notice, adding that they are working closely with the provincial government and the Canadian Red Cross.

Evacuees who do not have a place to stay are being asked by the provincial government to proceed to Billy Mosienko Arena, staffed by provincial emergency social services and the Canadian Red Cross.

The centre will be open all hours of the day until further notice, according to the provincial government.

Manitoba Métis Federation provides supplies to evacuees

Since Thursday, the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) has established a command centre at 406 McGregor Street, offering donated supplies and meals to evacuees.

“Being evacuated from a place from up north to (Winnipeg) is stressful,” said JoAnne Remillard, MMF Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Remillard said that “well over a hundred” evacuees dropped by the command centre on Sunday.

“The donations keep coming in,” she said. “We’ve also opened up our pharmacy for those that had to evacuate quickly and may have forgotten their prescriptions.”     

She stated that the command centre offers a wide range of supplies, including clothing, shoes, children’s toys and hygiene products.

Items for fire evacuees can be donated at the command centre between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily. Donations outside of those hours can be received by calling 1-888-362-2012.

University of Manitoba housing evacuees and firefighters

The University of Manitoba is also assisting wildfire efforts by housing evacuees and firefighters, after initially being contacted by the provincial government last week.

Nick Sears, government and community relations officer with the University of Manitoba, stated on Sunday afternoon that approximately 30 firefighters from B.C. have been staying on campus since Friday night.

Sears said the university is expecting the possibility of 100 additional firefighters from the U.S. staying on campus after they arrive later this week.

Evacuees from Flin Flon, Pukatawagan and other northern communities in Manitoba are also staying on campus, with a total of 87 beds presently available for evacuees.

“About half of the beds have been occupied,” said Sears. “The number does change, sort of every hour, depending on who’s going and coming.”

He added that “a lot” of the evacuees housed on campus are single individuals.

“It’s been a very challenging couple of days, but it’s also been a very proud moment for the university to be able to step up and help in what is a really challenging and difficult time.”

Over 8.9K evacuees registered with Red Cross, says province

The provincial government is encouraging all evacuees to register with the Canadian Red Cross as soon as possible, stating that registration “ensures the province can allocate supports where they are most needed.”

Registration allows evacuees to be contacted “about services and assistance that may become available to them,” according to a provincial press release.

The Canadian Red Cross has already registered more than 8,900 people from over 3,500 households as of May 30 that were evacuated due to wildfires in the province.

Evacuees can register online or by calling 1-800-863-6582 (toll-free) between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. CDT.

The provincial government stated that “while donations and public support is appreciated,” individuals are advised to coordinate support “through official channels” as evacuation centres are not set up for uncoordinated drop-offs.

-With files from CTV’s Gary Robson