Northern Manitoba wildfire evacuees find safety at Thompson shelter
City officials say shelter has taken in displaced residents from 'all over the north'
Hundreds of wildfire evacuees from across northern Manitoba have been staying at a congregate shelter in Thompson, a city of about 13,000 people located about 650 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
Congregate shelters have been set up in Winnipeg, Winkler, Portage la Prairie and Thompson, with thousands of other evacuees staying at hotels across Manitoba and in Niagara Falls, Ont.
More than 14,300 people from more than 5,400 households have been registered with the Canadian Red Cross as of Monday, the province said in its most recent fire bulletin Tuesday. The Red Cross registered about 16 per cent of those evacuees on behalf of Indigenous Services Canada.
On Tuesday, the province said residents of Pukatawagan, also known as Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, have all been successfully evacuated.
The Manitoba government declared a provincewide state of emergency a week ago. At that time, Premier Wab Kinew said more than 17,000 people were expected to be evacuated — a figure he repeated in a CBC interview Tuesday.
City of Thompson officials said they have 568 people registered at the shelter, which was set up in partnership with Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, also known as MKO, a non-profit organization that represents 26 First Nations in northern Manitoba.
Thompson's City Manager Anthony McInnis said evacuees have come from communities "all over the north," including Lynn Lake, Pukatawagan, Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake), Fox Lake Cree Nation, Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage and Pimicikamak Cree Nation (Cross Lake).
He said between 390 and 440 people have slept in the arena at the Thompson Regional Community Centre since it opened just over a week ago.
"They end up coming here because they know this is a safe place. They can get some meals, a little bit of shelter and some safety," McInnis said.
"Once they knock on the door we try to take them in."
Priscilla Markwart fled Lynn lake with her five small children and one-month old infant. She said the evacuation experience was "really extreme" and the bus ride to the shelter in Thompson was loud and scary for her children.
But now that they've been at the shelter for a few days, she said they've settled in — and they're even having a bit of fun playing with the other children.
"Being here, we have our meals [and] everything provided," Markwart said.
"Kids are getting clothes, food, they're having fun. School is helping with activities during the day. So it's really positive and the kids are more distracted and having fun," she said, adding the kids have enjoyed going on outings to a splash pad organized by city and MKO staffers.
Markwart said the children were getting homesick but they have been trying to stay positive, treating the time away from home as a "mini vacation."
When people first arrived at the centre, McInnis said they seemed anxious and afraid. But he noticed the children's laughter grow louder as the days went on.
"Most people are smiling, you hear a lot of laughter, a lot of relaxing, kids playing … it feels almost like a family place right now," he said.
"It does have that family feel."
McInnis said that an elders room and ceremony room are being set up with help from the University College of the North, to offer community elders a quiet space to get support and seek connection while they are away from home.
The Thompson Crisis Centre, a local anti-domestic-violence shelter, has been organizing the donations coming in for displaced residents.
On Tuesday, tables were set up both inside and outside the community centre with clothing, food, care packages full of personal hygiene supplies, and baby-care items like diapers and formula.
McInnis said the city and MKO have set up a laundry service, and safety officers are on site thanks to a partnership with multiple First Nations.
Lynn Lake resident Brenda Castel said it's been crowded in the arena, which is lined with hundreds of green cots topped by Red Cross blankets.
It's been a stressful experience, but she's safe now, she said.
"At least we're all safe. That's the only thing that matters," Castel said.
Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@findhelp.ca.
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With files from Brittany Greenslade