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CBC
14 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Returning Nopiming residents thankful their homes were spared by wildfire
Some Manitobans living and working in Nopiming Provincial Park have returned home more than a month after they were forced out by the largest wildfire in the province's east. The southern part of the park — including Bird, Booster, Flanders and Davidson lakes, as well as Provincial Road 315 — reopened for permanent residents, cottagers and commercial operators Wednesday at 8 a.m. Martin Enns said he's grateful he has a cabin to go back to. "I really didn't know at one point whether they could stop the fire or not," the Booster Lake cottager said. "It's just so powerful. It's huge and, from the map that I was looking at … 90 per cent of the park is burned. So how do you stop a monster like that?" The news comes 36 days after an evacuation order was issued for communities in the area because of the fire, which was then about 5,000 hectares in size. It's continued growing, and as of Thursday's update, was 218,700 hectares and still considered out of control. Provincial Road 314 across Nopiming remains closed, and a mandatory evacuation order is still in place for the rest of the park beyond the southern areas that opened Wednesday, as well as for nearby Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagang River. Nancy Krebs said she feels lucky. The lifelong Nopiming resident said she knew her place on Bird Lake was safe because the fire hadn't gotten across the water. But Krebs said she and her husband still wanted to return home quickly to see for themselves everything was fine. "I've been here over 60 years. I don't see myself anywhere else, quite frankly," she said. "It's my life. My childhood. I spent all summer here with my mom.… She'd bang pots to keep the bears away at night. It was very rustic, believe me. But it was fun." Back in Booster Lake, Martin Enns said the return has put him at ease after some "very anxious moments." He and his wife purchased their lot in 1981 and built their cabin "basically with our own hands," enjoying it with the rest of their family over the years. "We were considering selling it at one point, but now all of a sudden you're faced with maybe losing it — wow. You don't want to sell it," he said. "You suddenly realize what you've got." The province said the Tulabi Falls and Bird Lake campgrounds will remain closed until at least June 26. Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@
CBC
11-06-2025
- CBC
Permits allowing guns, ATVs in backcountry are unfair as the public stays barred: Whiteshell cottager
Social Sharing As all backcountry trails and waterways remain in Manitoba's provincial parks remain closed to the public, some cottagers say it's unfair that outfitters are allowed to hunt in the backcountry with government-approved permits during a provincewide state of emergency. Barb Robson, who lives in Winnipeg and has a cottage on the south shore of Big Whiteshell Lake in Whiteshell Provincial Park, told CBC News on Tuesday that her husband was not allowed to return to the cottage to collect their boat and family heirlooms that have been passed down for generations. She said it's not fair that some outfitters can go in the backcountry while trails remain closed and some cottagers are still being kept out of the park. "If you're going to give permits to outfitters, you should give permits to cottage owners and seasonal people who are just going in there, and out to retrieve their stuff," she said. Environment Minister Mike Moyes, who oversees provincial parks, said backcountry permits are issued to outfitters on a case-by case basis, and can be rescinded if fire conditions change. He said most of the human-caused fires currently burning across Manitoba were not intentionally set. He said he understands the frustration, but stressed that keeping the public out of certain areas helps to limit further spread and keep firefighting resources where they're needed most. "We really sympathize with those folks. We recognize just how important some of those places are, as well as some of those belongings. But we have to make sure that safety comes first," Moyes said, asking for patience. Robson questioned whether allowing outfitters to bring possible fire hazards like guns and all-terrain vehicles in the backcountry during the spring bear hunt is safe. She said it doesn't make sense to approve these permits at the same time provincial officials are urging people to reconsider non-essential travel in Manitoba to free up hotel rooms for wildfire evacuees. "They're telling people not to come to Manitoba and yet they're allowing them to go out and do their hunting. That's very frustrating. Where is the fairness in all of this?" she wondered. "Just take the permits away and then you're not going to have an issue with anyone, including me. Because they can't go to the backcountry and I can't," Robson said. Outfitters not operating in evacuated areas, association says The Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association says its members who hold approved permits are not operating in areas that have a mandatory evacuation order in place. Melanie MacCarthy, president of the association, said the permits issued by the provincial government come with safety restrictions, like ensuring ATV riders have fire extinguishers with them or limiting operations between 7 p.m. and 11 a.m. MacCarthy said backcountry access is "critical" for outfitters during bear season. "Bear hunting happens deep in the woods … Without that backcountry access, they essentially can't operate," she said. "It's a short window for our operators to make a living and they're only doing so when it's deemed safe by conservation and given an approved permit to do so," MacCarthy said. Robson said it's unfair for the province to approve any permits when members of the public have been barred from the backcountry. "If you're not going to let us in — point blank, if there's no backcountry travel — take the permits away. Take them away," she said. On Wednesday at 8 a.m., Robson will be able to return to her cottage on Big Whiteshell Lake, as that area of the provincial park reopens to permanent residents, cottagers and commercial operators, the province said in its Tuesday fire bulletin. Crowduck Lake will also reopen Wednesday morning. At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, permanent residents, cottagers and commercial operators can head back to Florence Lake, Nora Lake and Ophir Siding. On Friday, seasonal campers can return to campgrounds at Big Whiteshell Lake. Backcountry travel rules frustrate some Manitobans 11 hours ago Duration 1:54 Backcountry travel in Manitoba is only allowed right now with a permit, as a provincewide state of emergency because of wildfires continues. However, some Manitobans aren't happy with those rules.
CBC
17-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Cottage owners, residents anxious as Nopiming wildfire burns out of control
As of yesterday, the province estimated the fire in and around Nopiming Provincial Park in eastern Mantioba to be over 100,000 hectares. That has residents and cottage owners on edge.
