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Winnipeg Free Press
14-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Biz leaders thankful for tax deferrals, ask for more help amid wildfire losses
Business leaders have praised Manitoba for offering sales and payroll tax deferrals to those affected by wildfires. 'That's fantastic,' said Kory Eastman, president of the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce, which has 100 members in the evacuated northern city and neighbouring Saskatchewan communities of Creighton and Denare Beach. 'Any kind of assistance is positive.' He expressed gratitude to Premier Wab Kinew for showing up Thursday to witness the damage caused by a massive blaze and talk to firefighters. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES On Thursday, Finance Minister Adrien Sala announced optional deferrals of the retail sales tax and payroll tax to help businesses affected by the unprecedented emergency that has forced 21,000 Manitobans to flee 27 communities. On Thursday, Finance Minister Adrien Sala announced optional deferrals of the retail sales tax and payroll tax to help businesses affected by the unprecedented emergency that has forced 21,000 Manitobans to flee 27 communities. 'We haven't seen any matching communication from the Saskatchewan side,' said Eastman who is staying in Edmonton. 'It'd be nice to see that as well,' said the chamber president, who is manager of the Flin Flon Credit Union. 'We've been able to re-establish services working remotely which been has been a challenge but obviously you know we're there for our members and for our customers.' He said he appreciated Premier Wab Kinew flying to Flin Flon on Thursday to see firsthand the empty streets and businesses shuttered by the wildfire. 'He got to kind of see what's happening on the ground there.' Eastman said he hopes Kinew's visit might prompt more provincial support for businesses. 'Maybe with a little more understanding, we'll see even more movement and support from the government, but I can't complain. They've been good so far with our area, I believe,' he said. 'Comparing to the other side of the border, (Saskatchewan Premier) Scott Moe has not been been there, and Denare Beach was devastated as a community, losing 300 properties,' said Eastman, noting Moe sent provincial officials to view the fire-ravaged community. He said he spoke to the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce Friday about its discussion with the government for supports for members that are under evacuation. 'Tax holidays are not something they often can give out, but we're pleased with any kind of progress, and still we'll hopefully keep the communication open,' Eastman said. A spokesman for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said the tax deferrals are 'helpful first steps' to deal with evacuations, lost revenue and supply delays. Seasonal businesses and those in northern and rural communities will need more help as the wildfire situation unfolds, spokesman Tyler Slobogian said Friday. The CFIB wrote to the finance minister June 2 in which it asked him to consider emergency grants, broader tax flexibility, and expanding Disaster Financial Assistance eligibility for small businesses. It hasn't received a response, the spokesman said. They're also hoping for an extension or expansion of similar sales and payroll tax deferrals available from February till July that were announced by the province in March in response to U.S. tariffs, he said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'CFIB members are being squeezed by rising input costs, supply chain instability, and additional labour challenges,' Slobogian said. 'Additional relief such as financial support for impacted industries, or permanent targeted tax reductions, would help offset these costs,' he said. 'The dual pressure of wildfire disruption and trade uncertainty is putting serious strain on Manitoba's small business community. Confidence has taken a large hit.' The CFIB's 'business barometer' shows a 6.5-point drop in Manitoba's long-term outlook, which is now the lowest in Canada, Slobogian said. 'This marks a new low, even beneath the confidence levels we saw during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.' Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
12-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘We're going to go back home, to what? To where?': devastated Denare Beach resident
Hollie Olivier is waiting to return to a home that isn't there anymore. The 44-year-old learned her home in Denare Beach, Sask., burned to the ground on Monday due to a wildfire. 'We have nothing,' Olivier said Tuesday at a gathering for wildfire evacuees at Assiniboine Park. 'We're going to go back home, to what? To where?' Olivier, the chief operating officer at Flin Flon Credit Union, was in the middle of overseeing the installation of two ATM machines when she learned the village — about 20 kilometres southwest of Flin Flon — was under an immediate evacuation order. She helped guide staff out of the building before swooping by to pick up her 64-year-old mother and 84-year-old grandmother from their Flin Flon homes before heading back to Denare Beach. When she arrived, she frantically grabbed a few items, which included family photos and the ashes of her son, who died six years ago. It was the last time she would see her home in one piece. 'We didn't think we were at risk in Denare,' Olivier said. 'We figured we were OK and that we would be going home, and all of a sudden, Denare Beach is on fire, and we lose our home. There's absolutely nothing left.' Olivier arrived in Winnipeg at 6 a.m. late last week with her mother, grandmother, and husband, who met up with them after he left his job in Snow Lake. They are staying at her mother-in-law's house. Olivier's 20-year-old son has joined them while her 26-year-old daughter's conservation job means she's helping co-ordinate firefighting efforts in Nopiming Provincial Park. 'I'm very fortunate to have a family that is so supportive, but I'm ready to go home,' Olivier said. She said she thinks about her home every second of every day. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. 'Every day you look at something in somebody's house and you think, 'Oh, I had that, too. It's the simplest of things, just basic necessities that we don't have.' Olivier said her family will meet with their insurance agent and figure out the next course of action. She said her aunt, uncle, cousin, neighbours and friends have lost their homes, as well. Some of her friends who spoke to insurers said they were told it would take around three years to rebuild. 'What do you do for three years when you have nowhere to stay? How do you move on with your life?' said Olivier. 'I know we'll make wherever we live a home, but it's just devastating that I have no home.'
