Latest news with #LynnLake
National Post
an hour ago
- Climate
- National Post
More evacuation orders to be lifted in parts of northwestern Manitoba after fires
Thousands more wildfire evacuees in Manitoba will start making the trek home in the coming days as officials in two northwestern communities lift their evacuation orders. Article content The roughly 600 residents of the town of Lynn Lake will be allowed to return to the community 775 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg starting at 8 a.m. Friday. Article content Article content In a social media post, the town said buses would be arranged for those who need help with transportation. Article content Article content 'While it is now safe to return, residents must remain prepared to evacuate again with little notice if fire conditions worsen.' Article content Residents were forced out a little more than one month ago by an out-of-control blaze that currently stands at 71 square kilometres in size. Active fire and hot spots remain close, the town said. Article content Suppression efforts are ongoing, but there is a continued risk of smoke and falling ash, officials said. Article content Article content Further south, residents of the city of Flin Flon could start coming home by the middle of next week as officials prepare to lift their mandatory evacuation order. Article content Deputy Mayor Alison Dallas-Funk, in a social media post Thursday, said the order is expected to be lifted at 9 a.m. on June 25, about one month after the city's 5,100 residents were forced out by a massive wildfire that began days earlier in nearby Creighton, Sask. Article content She said most critical services and businesses, including power and gas, would be ready to go by Sunday. Barring further fire activity, she said council would meet Monday to officially rescind the order. Article content Article content Article content Dallas-Funk said the town would work to secure buses to bring people home. Article content Manitoba's wildfire service has said crews have made progress in combating the 3,700-square-kilometre fire near Flin Flon, but weather has hindered their efforts. Article content The province has been experiencing what Premier Wab Kinew has described as its worst fire season in recent memory. Article content At the peak of evacuations, about 21,000 people were out of their homes, putting pressure on the province's supply of hotel rooms and prompting Kinew's NDP government to encourage tourists to think twice about travelling to Manitoba. Article content
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
In the news today: Search to continue for hikers after Banff rockfall
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Search to continue for hikers after Banff rockfall Rescuers in Alberta are set to resume their search today for anyone else caught up in a massive rockfall that killed one and injured three in a remote section of Banff National Park. Video posted online reportedly shows a large shelf of stone crashing down a mountainside at Bow Glacier Falls, about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary. The slide kicked up a towering cloud of grey dust that had other hikers rushing to safety. Officials have said one person was found dead at the scene, two people were airlifted to hospital in Calgary and a third was taken by ground ambulance. Officials say those who haven't been able to account for loved ones are to contact Parks Canada. Here's what else we're watching... More evacuations to lift in northwestern Manitoba Thousands more wildfire evacuees in Manitoba will start making the trek home in the coming days as officials in two northwestern communities lift their evacuation orders. The roughly 600 residents of the town of Lynn Lake will be allowed to return to the community 775 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg starting at 8 a.m. Friday. In a social media post, the town said buses would be arranged for those who need help with transportation. Further south, residents of the city of Flin Flon could start coming home by the middle of next week as officials prepare to lift their mandatory evacuation order. Deputy Mayor Alison Dallas-Funk, in a social media post Thursday, said the order is expected to be lifted at 9 a.m. on June 25, about one month after the city's 5,100 residents were forced out by a massive wildfire that began days earlier in nearby Creighton, Sask. She said most critical services and businesses, including power and gas, would be ready to go by Sunday. Barring further fire activity, she said council would meet Monday to officially rescind the order. MPs voting on major projects bill today Prime Minister Mark Carney's major projects and internal trade bill will be voted on today before the House of Commons rises until September. A closure motion the government passed to limit debate says the House won't adjourn today until debate wraps up on Bill C-5 and it clears the chamber. The Liberal government's controversial legislation, which would let cabinet quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines, sailed through committee in the early hours of Thursday with support from the Conservatives. Indigenous and environmental groups and some opposition MPs and senators have criticized the government for rushing a bill through Parliament that gives cabinet such sweeping powers. The legislation was amended Thursday to withdraw the power it gave cabinet to sidestep the Indian Act after weeks of criticism from First Nations leaders. Mike Pemberton to be next Yukon premier Mike Pemberton has been named the new leader of the Yukon Liberal Party and will be the territory's 11th premier. A local businessman and longtime party insider, Pemberton won the leadership race by 13 votes over former Kwanlin Dun First Nations Chief Doris Bill. He will replace outgoing Premier Ranj Pillai who announced earlier this year that he would not be seeking re-election and would step down after his successor was chosen. The party says 873 ballots were cast at the leadership convention in Whitehorse, with Pemberton getting 442 votes, 429 people voting for Bill, and two ballots being spoiled. The next territorial election must be held on or before Nov. 3. The Liberals hold a minority government in Yukon with eight of the 19 available seats in the legislature. Anand pledges 'action', reform in foreign affairs Faced with escalating conflict in the Middle East, a collapsing global trade system and a department struggling to reform itself, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says she relishes the job of helping Canada navigate a turbulent world. In a wide-ranging interview Thursday with The Canadian Press, Anand said her experiences in both politics and academia can help her streamline Canada's approach to global issues, allowing it to pursue its interests without losing sight of its values. "How do you ensure, when you have these large departments, that you're actually able to execute? That is the heart of government. It's the hardest thing to do," Anand said. "I enjoy difficult responsibilities." She cited her time as defence minister, when she pushed the Canadian Armed Forces to address sexual misconduct and organized donations of military supplies to Ukraine's front line. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025. The Canadian Press
CBC
11 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
Lynn Lake residents to return home as wildfire threat fades, health services start to be restored
Residents of Lynn Lake can soon return home, more than three weeks after a wildfire ordered an evacuation of the northern Manitoba community. The town said in a Facebook post Thursday night that residents can return home as of Friday at 8 a.m. Buses are being arranged for those who need assistance, and town officials will be in contact with those individuals, according to the Facebook post. Officials are telling residents, however, they must be ready to evacuate with little notice if fire conditions worsen. Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich said the pending return to their town brings an "overwhelming feeling of joy" for him, as well as the evacuees who spent a few weeks sleeping on cots in a makeshift shelter in Thompson, more than 200 kilometres away. "They've been out of the community for I think 24 days now, but we've been trying to bring you home forever." Delays in reopening ER Dulewich said the evacuation order would have been rescinded earlier if health-care services in the town of roughly 600 people could have been restored faster. The emergency department opened again on Thursday, the mayor said. The fire near Lynn Lake is over 71,000 hectares and remains out of control, according to a provincial wildfire bulletin issued on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Conservation Officer Service and the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said the north half of the blaze is actively burning but the south part, closer to the community, is looking better. The town said on Facebook that "hot spots" from the wildfire remain close to the community. "There is a continued risk of smoke and falling ash, especially during periods of increased wind and heat." Dulewich commended the people of Thompson for voluntarily looking after his community, which is just over 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. He's disappointed that Lynn Lake residents had to endure weeks in a shelter, sleeping on cots, while evacuees from other areas were flown to Winnipeg and stayed in hotel rooms. He wants a fairer system to be developed. "I've gone blue in the face, yelling at different agencies, trying to get the basic humane living conditions for the citizens of Lynn Lake," Dulewich said. "It's unbelievable that they had to have to stay in the makeshift shelter for this long."
CBC
2 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
More than 2 dozen cottages, homes burned to the ground in Manitoba's Burge Lake Provincial Park
Social Sharing More than two dozen cottages and homes in northwestern Manitoba's Burge Lake Provincial Park have burned to the ground due to wildfires, the mayor of Lynn Lake confirmed this week. And as officials continue to assess the damage, he says many are concerned about the emotional toll the destruction will have on residents when they finally return home. "We've seen a tremendous amount of loss," said Brandon Dulewich, the mayor of Lynn Lake, about 235 kilometres north of Flin Flon. Firefighters spent days trying to save approximately 35 homes and cabins located in Burge Lake Provincial Park, which is only about five kilometres north of the town of Lynn Lake, he said. Despite their efforts, Dulewich confirmed Wednesday that 29 buildings, including a mix of both seasonal cottages and permanent residences, were destroyed. "The destruction at that subdivision is something that is extremely hard to see, and my heart goes out to those who lost a home or a cottage out there. "It's something they've worked for their whole life, and now it's gone." The buildings destroyed included his own cottage in the area — a loss he is still coming to grips with, said Dulewich, who also works as a firefighter with the Lynn Lake Fire Department. Firefighters have been working for weeks to contain an out-of-control wildfire that continues to burn in the region, and covers nearly 72,000 hectares, according to the province's latest fire update. Lynn Lake and the surrounding area were ordered evacuated on May 27, and residents still haven't been cleared to go home. With buildings destroyed, and much of the area now charred, Dulewich is warning residents that the Burge Lake they will come back to will look a lot different than what they left. "Even that location is completely charred," he said. "There's no trees left standing, the ground is black. "It's not what it used to be. It's going to be surprising for people and overwhelming." The destruction is "heartbreaking," he said, acknowledging the connection many in the area have to their homes and cottages. 'Just awful': fire chief Lynn Lake Fire Department Chief Paul Grimmer echoed Dulewich's concerns about the scene that Burge Lake residents are poised to return to, and how they will deal with it emotionally. "It's just awful," Grimmer said. "It was just a beautiful park, and now it just looks like a bomb went off in the middle of it." Grimmer also lost his own cottage in the fire, he confirmed, but said his number 1 priority now is for the department to save as many structures as they can as the fire continues to burn. As of Wednesday, neither Dulewich and Grimmer could say when they expect residents from the area will be able to return home. Both said the fire could continue to threaten Lynn Lake and Burge Lake, depending on elements like heat and wind in the coming days and weeks. Crystal Antila, who is a volunteer firefighter with the Springfield Fire Department in southern Manitoba but grew up in Lynn Lake, bought a cabin in Burge Lake about a year ago. It was one of the structures that has now burned down, she said. "We heard about it a few weeks ago now, and obviously a lot of people got the same news, so it's a really unfortunate loss for a lot of people out there," she said. In her volunteer role, Antila said she was one of the many people dispatched to the area to fight the fire, and she was able to see the destruction to her cabin and to the area first-hand. "'Before' and 'after' is a very different view," she said. "It was a very emotional experience." As hard as losing her own cabin was, Antila said she can't imagine how people who have lost homes and cabins that have been in their families for years — decades, in some cases — will feel when they return to the ruins. "There are a few people that this was their year-round home, and I can't imagine how they are dealing with the stress of that loss," she said. "I am fortunate it was a summer getaway, so it's not having the same impact on my day-to-day life, and my heart goes out to them. "It must be very difficult for them every single day now trying to figure out what their life is going to look like." The province confirmed on Wednesday it is aware of 130 structures in total lost across the province due to this year's wildfires, but said it will not be providing any more details or descriptions until affected individuals have been notified. As of Wednesday, the Manitoba Wildfire Service was fighting 21 active wildfires across the province. There have been 124 wildfires to date this year, above the average for this date of 118 total fires, the province said in its latest fire bulletin.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Mutual aid firefighting system helping in Manitoba wildfire battle
Fire departments in southern Manitoba are answering the call to help northern communities save their homes and lands. The volunteer fire chief in Morris, Man., Trevor Thiessen, and another firefighter helped respond to the 71,000-hectare wildfire near Lynn Lake and Marcel Colomb First Nation last week and over the weekend. "It was intense," Thiessen said. "It was surreal." They drove their pumper tanker 15 hours from Morris to Lynn Lake and stayed there for five days, he said, helping to set up sprinklers on homes, the hospital and school, where flames came dangerously close. They were there when flames blew into the edge of town on Sunday. "You could see it in the distance. You could see the smoke, and then you could see the flames up in the crowns of the trees, and then you could hear it, and then it was on you," Thiessen said in an interview on Wednesday, two days after returning home. Thiessen described the pumper tanker, which can carry and pump 2,500 gallons of water, as a "very key" piece in the response. "We were able to stage somewhere and actually pump water for quite some time before we had to refill, which was really crucial," he said. "The water system was right to the max with the hydrants running, running sprinklers and whatnot, so that was really beneficial to have." Their deployment left his fire department's main fire engine, ladder truck and 20 other volunteer firefighters back in Morris, which Thiessen says left the town well protected while they were away. If a fire had ignited that they weren't able to handle, the fire department Morris would have been able to draw from resources in their mutual aid district of Boyne River, which includes fire departments in Carman and Portage la Prairie. No equivalent system in northern Manitoba Southern Manitoba has 17 mutual aid districts that share resources in emergencies. Northern Manitoba doesn't have an equivalent reciprocal response system, due to geographic barriers and long travel distances, according to the province's website. However, it has three northern training districts that ensure training programs are available to communities in the region. Manitoba's Office of the Fire Commissioner and Emergency Management Organization work together to make requests to local fire departments, a provincial spokesperson said in an email on Wednesday. Morden fire Chief Andy Thiessen says his city was recently asked to contribute a pumper tanker and firefighters to the fire fight near Flin Flon, Man., and he believes it's because communities in his Pembina Triangle mutual aid district also have pumper tankers and tankers they could rely on in the event of a local fire. Morden, Plum Coulee and St. Jean Baptiste sent six firefighters, a pumper tanker with a carrying capacity of 4,000 gallons, along with a truck on Tuesday, Thiessen said. A replacement team will switch them out after about a week. His crews will focus on dousing infrastructure to free up firefighters specialized in forest fires, he said. "We can all take care of our own communities most of the time, but sometimes we need extra manpower, extra equipment, and that's where the mutual aid system works, and now this is just expanded outside of our borders where we're helping … northern Manitoba," he said. "All depends [on] what the province is asking for at the time." The Boyne River and Pembina Triangle mutual aid districts are among many others that have contributed equipment and firefighters this season: The City of Brandon has five firefighter paramedics assisting in Lynn Lake until Sunday, chief of emergency services Terry Parlow said Wednesday. After four of its members helped in Pukatawagan for four days, the Carberry North Cypress–Langford Fire Department says one person went home while the other three, along with a fire engine, went to the Flin Flon area on Monday. "We would not have sent [an] apparatus and personnel if we didn't have proper fire coverage back at home," fire Chief Clyde McCallum said in an email. The Oakland/Wawanesa Fire Department says it currently has two firefighters and a fire truck assisting in the Flin Flon wildfire. Two firefighters from the Selkirk Fire Department and its pumper truck are responding to the Lynn Lake wildfire until the end of the week, a city spokesperson said Thursday. With five firefighters from the Municipality of Deloraine–Winchester sent to Flin Flon, it has issued a ban on all open fires, fireworks and motorized backcountry travel "because we have a fairly large portion of the Turtle Mountains in our area," fire Chief Jerry Redden said in a message on Wednesday. "With all the resources up north, we felt it best to do so as we would probably be pretty much on our own if a fire got started in there," Redden wrote. As of Monday, about 200 firefighters were on the ground in Flin Flon helping battle the blaze. A City of Winnipeg spokesperson says so far, it has not received a request for firefighters or paramedics. Emergency management centre needed, chief says Two wildfires continue to threaten Pimicikamak Cree Nation, also known as Cross Lake, more than 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Chief Gordon Bluesky of Brokenhead Ojibway Nation in southern Manitoba says his community plans to send four firefighters to help protect Cross Lake and Pimicikamak on Saturday. They'll join dozens of American, Manitoba Wildfire Service and local firefighters who are being mobilized to the region, according to a Facebook post by Pimicikamak Chief David Monias. "If we have the ability to help, I believe ourselves and many other First Nations are trying our best to do so," Bluesky said Thursday. He isn't aware of a formal agreement between his First Nation and nearby rural municipalities, like the provincial mutual aid agreements outlined under the provincial Municipal Act, although Brokenhead Ojibway collaborated with them on the Libau fire this spring, with additional support from Sagkeeng First Nation, Bluesky said. Brokenhead's South Beach Casino Resort gets fire protection through the Rural Municipality of St. Clements, "but outside of that, there isn't anything in place," he said. "I don't believe that generally there is a co-ordinated effort, and I think that's the biggest issue that we have in Manitoba is just getting that mutual aid and the understanding of how that works." Bluesky said he hopes to explore that conservation, along with the need for an emergency management centre, as climate change worsens. "We could be doing a lot of this emergency response if we could do it collaboratively," Bluesky said. "The biggest thing is co-ordination and bringing things together, and that's where I think a lot of people get a little bit frustrated, because it is really difficult, especially at the scale that we're talking about today." Mutual aid firefighting system helping in Manitoba wildfire fight 4 minutes ago Duration 2:33 Fire departments in southern Manitoba are answering the call to help northern communities save their homes and lands from wildfires.
