‘Life and death’: Pimicikamak leaders plead for help as power outage reaches third day By: Scott Billeck Posted: 3:35 PM CST Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 Last Modified: 10:04 AM CST Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 Updates

Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to send the Canadian Armed Forces to Cross Lake after a Sunday power outage prompted evacuations from the community.

“The safety and lives of our people are at stake,” the letter states.

“As a First Nation, we should not be left to endure repeated emergencies alone, particularly when the risks are foreseeable and preventable.”

On Wednesday, leaders were questioning why they have been forced to plead for assistance.

“We are in a life-and-death matter right now back home,” said an emotional Shirley Robinson, a councillor at Pimicikamak Cree Nation, as she sat next to Chief David Monias and Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee at a news conference Wednesday.

“We have infants that are waiting (to be evacuated), we have amputees who are waiting, we have elders — the very vulnerable — who are confined to wheelchairs that are waiting to be brought out. When is it going to be now?… Why is it we always have to beg? Our people are suffering right at this very moment.”

Robinson called on the provincial government to declare a state of emergency and arrange to have the army go to Pimicikamak, also known as Cross Lake.

“The homes are smelling like a sewer already; (residents) haven’t had a decent meal… both of our stores are without power,” she said. “We deserve the same standards of care as any other ordinary person in this country of ours.”

In a statement, a spokesperson said the province is in direct contact with Pimicikamak leadership, including through the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization.

The province said more than 1,400 people have been moved to hotels or are staying with friends and family.

“With extreme cold weather in the region, multiple generators have been deployed, as well as heaters, blankets and cots have been delivered to the community,” the spokesperson said in an email. “Through the support of various agencies and partners additional food has been made available to the community.”

Monias said the community of about 7,000 urgently needs at least 1,300 water pumps and new pipes to replace those that froze after the electricity went out late Sunday because of a snapped power line in a remote area near the Nelson River.

Manitoba Hydro said its crews made good progress to repair the line Wednesday, despite the challenging terrain.

“The broken line runs between two islands in the Nelson River, and as the ice is not safe to support vehicles, crews and material must be carried to each end of the broken span by helicopter,” said Hydro media relations officer Peter Chura in an email.

Chura said weather was suitable for helicopter operations on Wednesday, and a second helicopter is expected to be on site on Thursday.

“Weather permitting, we remain on track to restore power to the community (Thursday) evening,” he said.

Hydro has not yet determined why the line snapped, Chura said.

He added the utility supplied the community with a large generator to power the water treatment facility, along with eight heavy-duty heaters, and generators to power them, to be used by the community at warming centres.

“We’ll be examining the broken span, but currently the focus is on replacing it and safely restoring power as quickly as possible,” he said. “We are in close contact with community leadership to let them know our progress, and the process for restoring power. It will be for the community leadership to make the decision when residents who have been evacuated can return.”

In its latest update Wednesday evening, Hydro emphasized it expects to restore power by 6 p.m. Thursday.

The outage, which has affected the community since about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, has left residents struggling to cook or preserve food, access clean water, and communicate with others.

About 450 residents have been evacuated so far, with officials confirming Wednesday that hotel space in Thompson has run out.

In a Facebook post later on Wednesday, Monias said the community had run out of potable water.

“Governments seek our consent for projects of national interest, yet when our people need assistance to survive, support is slow, conditional, or absent,” he wrote.

Pimicikamak declared a state of emergency on Monday after it became clear the power outage would be prolonged amid extreme cold.

Settee, a member of Pimicikamak, said this marks the third state of emergency in the past two years, including this past summer when wildfires forced thousands from their homes for weeks.

“We’re a nation in peril,” he said. “It’s more than a state of emergency. It’s a catastrophe… Close to 7,000 people today are huddling with each other, supporting each other in the cold, without proper heating devices and resources, without adequate food and they’ve been running short of water.”

Settee said leaders wants governments to intervene and questioned how much more the community can endure, noting the crisis extends beyond the power outage to frozen and burst water pipes.

“This is a time when the government should step up and respond to a crisis,” Settee said. “This is what happens when you place our people in housing that is substandard, without alternate heating resources.”

Eva Muswagon said 11 people, including her grandchildren as young as two, and three dogs were staying in her home, which has a wood stove.

“We woke up this morning,” she said. “Our flooring is cold. Yesterday, we travelled to Norway House for water, Pampers, wipes, fruit and propane. Today, I have to travel to Thompson as my prescriptions were supposed to be ready Monday.”

Muswagon said pipes in her home had frozen, and she was “praying to God” they don’t burst.

She said food in her deep freezer has thawed, and everything in her refrigerator is spoiling without power.

Shirley Thomas, who spoke to the Free Press over Facebook Messenger, said they’re struggling with the extreme cold.

“We need water,” she said. “Propane stoves to cook had to be borrowed, plus long lineup for gas for the generator. I guess no New Year celebration for us. I need a single bed for my paraplegic (daughter) to move in the living room to be warm. I am 71 years old but still can help my family. I am crying because it’s sad.”

In Winnipeg, Red Cross teams worked to manage the influx of evacuees who arrived Tuesday night and early Wednesday, to be put up at a hotel on Wellington Avenue.

Christopher Ross, who was assisting with co-ordination efforts, said the reason a plane carrying about 20 elders had not yet departed was that not all of them had their required escorts.

“I have a grandbaby and three of my children here right now,” said Trisha McKay, who arrived in Winnipeg early Wednesday, adding that two of her older sons stayed behind to help out. “I’m pregnant, so I had no choice. If If had a choice, I would have stayed and helped in the community, too.”

Lauralye Ross, who has a family of 11 in Winnipeg, called it a tough situation.

“We didn’t have time to grab much, not even a toothbrush. Little things like that. I need my medication still,” she said.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca