Hydro rejects generator option for evacuated community

The chief of an evacuated northern First Nation that is still without electricity has demanded the provincial and federal governments spend $8 million on a generator so residents can return home, however Manitoba Hydro says the proposal is unrealistic.

Mathias Colomb Cree Nation Chief Gordie Bear held a news conference Friday to press for the immediate return of residents to their home, 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

“We gotta get home… our children are suffering, we’re suffering,” Bear said.

Residents were forced to pack up and flee south when a wildfire encroached on their community May 28. While the fire is no longer a threat, the community has no power.

Dumas said $8 million for a generator equals pennies compared to what governments have spent on lodging for the community’s 2,200 evacuees across Manitoba and in Niagara Falls, Ont.

Manitoba Hydro said its crews are working to restore power and the latest estimate is that they will be finished during the week of Sept. 28.

Spokesperson Peter Chura said the blaze caused damage over a large area that includes the rail line, making it an unrealistic option to ship an emergency generator to the remote region.

“We understand and appreciate the community’s frustration, and we are doing everything we can to get our repairs done so that people can return home,” Chura said in an email.

On Friday, Bear told reporters 12 residents have died since they left their homes and he blamed it on the prolonged evacuation.

Mathias Colomb’s fire chief Glen Dumas said several factors are to blame, including a lack of access to health care and nutritious food for people with health issues. Mental health issues and addictions played a part, he said.

“I save lives, and today I find myself losing a battle because of (Manitoba Hydro) and the governments not willing to work together to help the ease, the suffering, the pain,” he said. “I’ve lost 12 (lives), I don’t want to lose any more.”

Mathias Colomb leadership have met with representatives of both levels of government to discuss the generator option, but no action has been taken, Bear said.

During the 2022 wildfire season, three temporary generators were supplied to Mathias Colomb while the power line was being repaired.

Finance minister Adrian Sala said late Friday Hydro hired a consultant to explore long-term solutions for the community, including installation of a generator, but the immediate focus remains on restoring Hydro power.

A spokesperson from Indigenous Services Canada said Hydro bears the responsibility to restore power and approve alternative energy sources.

In addition, the department is working with First Nations and the province to address these types of events through the development of multilateral emergency management service agreements that include First Nations as “full and equal partners in governance, planning, and delivery.”

Assembly of First Nations regional chief Willie Moore called the issue a “jurisdictional hot potato.”

“The plan was there… the plan that was designed for (the community), by them, and that’s best suitable for their needs … and yet there’s still no resolve to the issue,” he said.

The extended evacuation has scattered residents across Winnipeg, Brandon, Niagara Falls, and The Pas, where Hanson Dumas has been staying with his family since May 28.

He misses being with friends and family, and says being forced to live in an urban setting is weighing on him and his neighbours.

“The fresh air, lakes, we go out paddling daily, hunting. We cannot go roam around like we can on the reserve,” he said. “It’s very stressful for us.”

This wildfire season is Manitoba’s worst in 30 years, the government has said. More than 2.1 million hectares of land has burned. On Wednesday, about 5,500 residents remain displaced; most are in hotels across the province, but 800 people are still in Niagara Falls, Ont.

Bear said once residents return home, they’re likely to face mould and pest infestations, and it could take up to a year before the community’s infrastructure is restored.

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson threatened unspecified action against the provincial and federal governments if they don’t meet the community’s needs.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca