‘We need to show compassion’: Hotels open rooms for evacuees with 13,000 displaced by wildfires

CTV’s Danton Unger takes a closer look at the challenges in finding hotel space in Manitoba for wildfire evacuees.

The province says it is working to move hundreds of evacuees out of congregate shelters and into hotels, but says the process is complex.

When Manitoba declared a state of emergency last week, Four Crowns Inn General Manager Andrew Pomierny said he set aside about a dozen rooms for evacuees.

“I figured that if we can be ready, then it’s just going to smooth the whole process for people that are actually in need of those rooms,” he said.

Since then, he’s been waiting for a call from the province to fill them up.

On Thursday, the call finally came. Pomierny said the Red Cross booked five rooms for evacuees, and anticipates booking another four shortly.

“They’re going through a very hard time in their life and having better accommodations, having their own room—I think that helps at least a little bit,” Pomierny told CTV News.

It comes as nearly 13,000 Manitobans have been forced to flee their homes due to the wildfires. As of Wednesday, the province said 6,450 evacuees have been placed in hotels while 1,200 are still sleeping on cots in congregate shelters.

The Four Crowns Inn is one of several hotels CTV News spoke with that said they had rooms set aside for evacuees and were just waiting for a call from the province.

“Really that process is not simple,” said Christine Stevens, the assistant deputy minister with Manitoba’s emergency management organization.

Stevens said the province works to match hotel availability with supports evacuees need like accessible rooms, daily meals, and proximity to medical appointments and community.

“All of those things matter a lot to us, and that means that sometimes it’s complex matching the right fit to the hotel availability that we have,” Stevens said.

But she noted that work is underway. She said since Monday the province has moved 705 evacuees into hotels. She said the province has also brought 10 new hotels onboard with house evacuees, bringing the total to 68.

Michael Juce, president and CEO of the Manitoba Hotel Association, estimated there are about 7,600 hotel rooms citywide, and just under 15,000 hotel rooms across the province.

He noted several of those would be unavailable—either due to renovations or maintenance, or because they are located in evacuated communities.

Juce said many hoteliers are ready to pitch in.

“It’s really heartwarming to have them reach out and say, ‘hey, we’re here to help. How can we support our fellow Manitobans,’” Juce said.

At the Four Crowns Inn, Pomierny said he will keep working to provide more rooms as needed.

“We need to show compassion. We need to show understanding,” he said. “If we all chip in then we can get through it as best as we can, as a community.”