Manitoba lifts wildfires state of emergency

Manitoba lifted a provincewide state of emergency Monday — even though several large wildfires remained out of control — because the situation is safer and extra powers are no longer necessary.

Premier Wab Kinew said firefighters, aided by cooler temperatures and rain, have made good progress, and thousands of evacuees are returning to communities that were deemed safe.

“To be absolutely clear, this is still a very serious situation,” Kinew said. “We can do this with normal government powers. It’s important that we have a light touch when it’s something as serious as declaring a state of emergency.”

The 30-day state of emergency, declared May 28 when the number of evacuees in northern Manitoba soared, was due to expire Thursday.

The Manitoba Wildfire Service reported 25 active fires Monday. The fire danger level was low everywhere but the province’s northwest corner, where the danger was high, thanks to recent rainfall, a bulletin said.

The province said 131 wildfires have burned more than 909,000 hectares of land this year. The average for June 23 is 132 fires, the bulletin said.

Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, said mandatory evacuation orders were still in place for 12 communities.

More than 22,000 Manitobans were forced out of their homes during one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent memory. More than 9,000 have since returned home, Stevens said.

Flin Flon’s 5,000-plus residents are allowed to return as of 9 a.m. Wednesday. They were forced to leave May 28.

“I’ve talked to several residents, and they’re all looking forward to getting back to their own homes,” Mayor George Fontaine said. “There’s some anticipation. But, they know that the town hasn’t burned down, so they’re happy with that.”

Cooler temperatures are expected in Flin Flon before a daytime high of 25 C on Thursday, with some rain expected this week, Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Crawford Luke said.

“The forecast is definitely not as bad as it has been the last several weeks leading up to the situation, but not necessarily a slam dunk for heavy rain either,” Luke said.

Residents of Bakers Narrows, a small community 20 kilometres southeast of Flin Flon, are still waiting for a mandatory evacuation order to be lifted. They were forced to leave May 30.

Valerie Hershmiller said it has been mentally taxing not knowing when it will be deemed safe to return.

“It’s surreal. Until you’re in it, it doesn’t feel real,” Hershmiller said. “When we finally go back home and see the devastation, it’s going to be a pretty sad summer.”

Some of her relatives and friends lost their homes to wildfire. She said her family is blessed to be safe and have a home to return to.

“I’ve talked to several residents, and they’re all looking forward to getting back to their own homes.”– Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine

While thousands more evacuees prepare to head home, Lisa Naylor, the minister responsible for Manitoba EMO, said the need for hotel rooms for evacuees has “stabilized.”

The province previously had trouble finding rooms for everyone in need, forcing some to stay in shelters for weeks. About 2,300 evacuees were moved to Niagara Falls, Ont.

Naylor said evacuees were staying in 93 hotels in 19 communities Monday, with hundreds of rooms being held in case of new evacuations.

On June 9, Naylor asked people to reconsider non-essential travel to or within Manitoba to free up hotel rooms for evacuees.

That message changed Monday, when Naylor encouraged people to visit, but to remain cautious depending on where they travel.

The province’s last remaining congregate shelters — in Winnipeg and Thompson — are no longer in use. The sites’ final evacuees were moved to hotels or returned home as of last week.

Stevens said evacuees were still believed to be in shelters in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (Nelson House) and Sagkeeng First Nation.

Announcing the end of the provincial state of emergency, Kinew said a series of related orders — involving congregate shelters, security measures and supports for evacuees’ pets, for example — were no longer needed.

“We’ve all seen (U.S. President) Donald Trump put tariffs on us because of states of emergency that he’s declared, that there’s no emergency there,” Kinew said. “So for us, we want to keep reasonable government in mind as one of our principles here, which means having a light touch with something like emergency powers.

“As things have been getting safer, and as normal government channels have allowed us to deliver the services, we’ve come to a place where we can remove the state of emergency, and just respect the freedoms and normal course of business that our society should always operate under.”

Kinew said he did not believe the earlier request to reconsider non-essential travel was premature because fires posed an “extraordinary” threat to lives and property.

Two people — Susan and Richard Nowell — died in a fast-moving wildfire near Lac du Bonnet in May.

The Canadian School Boards Association was scheduled to hold its annual national congress in Winnipeg from July 2-5. The association decided to cancel hotel bookings and hold the event online after the province’s June 9 plea.

The province said 375 out-of-province firefighters, including 100 from Quebec and France and more than 200 from the U.S., remain in Manitoba. Some personnel are from Newfoundland and Labrador and Parks Canada.

Manitoba has not yet disclosed an estimated cost of its wildfire response.

The NDP government budgeted $50 million for emergencies such as forest fires and flooding, and nearly $14 million for wildfire suppression in the 2025-26 fiscal year. The budget for Manitoba Wildfire Service salaries and other expenses was nearly $40 million.

Kinew confirmed Manitoba will seek disaster financial assistance from the federal government, having raised the matter with Prime Minister Mark Carney last week.

As for financial help for wildfire-affected businesses, including hunting and fishing lodges, Naylor said it will likely be a case-by-case basis. The province previously announced tax deferrals for eligible businesses.

— with files from Nicole Buffie and Massimo De Luca-Taronno

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca