Island Lake First Nations under partial evacuation due to wildfire smoke
Finding accommodations a 'balancing act' with 5 communities evacuating vulnerable residents: Manitoba premier
Some Manitoba First Nations evacuating vulnerable residents amid worsening air quality say finding accommodations has been challenging, with thousands fleeing wildfires across the province.
Four First Nations in the Island Lake region in northeastern Manitoba — Garden Hill, St. Theresa Point, Wasagamack and Red Sucker Lake — are under partial evacuations as of Thursday, said Anisininew Okimawin, a coalition of the four First Nations.
About 250 residents had been flown out of the region — around 500 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg — as of Thursday afternoon, said Anisininew Okimawin Grand Chief Alex McDougall.
"All of the four communities have focused their efforts around those that are most vulnerable," McDougall said.
That includes "those that have respiratory issues and are being affected by the smoke, the heavy smoke that is being blown in by the fires … to the west of us here, primarily [in] Norway House [and] Cross Lake," about 200 kilometres west of Island Lake, he said.
"There's a lot of fear and a lot of uncertainty from our community members."
WATCH | Partial evacuation underway in Island Lake:
Pimicikamak Cree Nation, also known as Cross Lake, and the incorporated community of Cross Lake are among the Manitoba communities under full evacuation orders due to a nearby wildfire. Norway House is under an evacuation notice, with people ordered to be ready to leave.
An Environment Canada air quality warning is in effect for much of Manitoba, including Island Lake, with 27 active fires still burning in the province as of Thursday afternoon.
Interlake First Nation also evacuating vulnerable
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson told CBC News earlier Thursday that Misipawistik Cree Nation in the Interlake region, nearly 400 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, was also preparing to evacuate vulnerable residents.
"Priority 1 individuals are going to be evacuated to southern Manitoba, but what the leadership wants is … actual hotel spaces before they send their community members to the south," Wilson said.
A fire 2,500 hectares in size was about eight kilometres north of Misipawistik as of Thursday's provincial fire bulletin. There were also two active fires west across the bay around Easterville, according to the province's fire map — the largest about 35 hectares in size.
Misipawistik Chief Heidi Cook told CBC News in a text message Thursday that 80 Priority 1 residents had left by bus or private vehicle. Most are staying in the East St. Paul area, just north of Winnipeg, she said.
Other evacuations taking up space
The Island Lake communities have about 16,000 members combined, with roughly 2,000 being Priority 1 residents — those considered most vulnerable and the first to be evacuated, McDougall said.
Dozens of dialysis patients have been taken to health facilities in places like Gimli and Powerview-Pine Falls.
But McDougall added the First Nations are trying to select the most vulnerable even within that category, as evacuations elsewhere in the province limit the number of accommodations available for Island Lake residents.
The Canadian Red Cross has registered about 18,000 wildfire evacuees in the province as of Thursday, the province said in its latest fire bulletin.
"One of the challenges that we're seeing with the evacuations is knowing that Manitoba has already been facing evacuations from other communities," McDougall said.
"All of those have been going to the larger urban centres in Manitoba and are obviously taking up all of the available accommodations."
Premier Wab Kinew said during an interview with Information Radio Thursday morning the situation for Island Lake evacuees is something the province is looking at.
"They're medical patients and people who are very vulnerable," he said.
"And so it's a bit of a balancing act between getting people into shelter and making sure that we keep some rooms open when those really high-priority medical patients come into the city."
First Nations have 'no real involvement': grand chief
Wilson criticized the evacuation of other communities in recent days as disorganized and unco-ordinated, with some people, including vulnerable residents with medical conditions, left waiting in line for accommodation or meals.
"Unfortunately, we have no real involvement," Wilson said, with the Red Cross providing evacuation services to First Nations under an agreement with Indigenous Services Canada.
WATCH | How the northern Manitoba wildfires have evolved:
The AMC grand chief is calling for a regional emergency management strategy in which Indigenous communities have more participation than they do now.
"We need First Nations leadership to be involved in the decision-making, and the response time needs to be quick," she said.
Meanwhile, McDougall said there would be no need for Island Lake to be partially evacuated if the region had a hospital of its own.
"Service would be available locally, and that's been the argument of our leadership," he said. "You compare the size of the population of any other non-First Nation population — they have hospitals."
Find the latest wildfire information at these sources:
- Canadian wildfire map
- Province of Manitoba fire bulletins
- CBC's wildfire tracker
- Communities under evacuations in Manitoba
Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@findhelp.ca.
With files from Matt Humphrey, Santiago Arias Orozco and Information Radio