ManitobaThe Southern Chiefs Organization is stepping in to support First Nations residents forced out of their homes by wildfires in Manitoba, helping to operate reception centres, distribute supplies and provide on-site security in southern Manitoba outside Winnipeg.SCO to help with reception centres, donations in Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, Brandon, WinklerCBC News · Posted: Jun 13, 2025 3:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 35 minutes agoEvacuees board a military aircraft in Norway House, Man. The Southern Chiefs Organization will help support evacuees staying in Brandon, Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, Winkler and Morden. (Nicholas Zahari/17 Operations Support Squadron Imaging)The Southern Chiefs Organization is stepping in to support First Nations residents forced out of their homes by wildfires in Manitoba, helping to operate reception centres, distribute supplies and provide on-site security in southern Manitoba outside Winnipeg.Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee says his organization, which is made up of 26 northern First Nations, has been helping evacuees fleeing from communities affiliated with MKO, including Pimicikamak, Mathias Colomb and Tataskweyak, in recent weeks. But the evacuation process has been a “massive undertaking” for the organization.”There were a lot of things we were doing — supplies, accommodations, essentials that everyone needed,” Settee said at a news conference Friday.”We cannot do this alone and no one can do it alone.”Southern Chiefs Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels looks on as Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee, right, talks about the ‘massive undertaking’ of supporting the evacuation of First Nations and the need for support from other organizations. (CBC)With thousands First Nations people still displaced, the Southern Chiefs Organization is taking over co-ordination of evacuee supports for those staying in Brandon, Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, Winkler and Morden, Settee said.”We want to be here for you. We’re here to help,” SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said at the news conference. The organization, which represents 32 First Nations in southern Manitoba, will help with daily operation of reception centres, distribution of supplies and on-site security for evacuees staying in those four communities outside Winnipeg, a news release said.MKO will continue supporting First Nations evacuees staying in Manitoba’s capital, Settee said. The Canadian Red Cross is still leading the evacuee operation with municipalities, but First Nations groups, including AMC and SCO, are filling gaps when they appear, MKO said. So far, 21,000 people forced from their homes by wildfires in Manitoba in recent weeks have registered with the Canadian Red Cross.CBC News has reached out to the Red Cross for comment. Both MKO and SCO have been collecting donations for evacuees. They are still in the need of some items, including baby supplies, underwear and hygiene products”It’s good to see that Manitoba has stepped up,” Settee said. “Our people are not alone in this struggle.”The evacuees SCO is helping with in Brandon, Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, Winkler and Morden are staying in hotels and in congregate shelters, Settee said.Premier Wab Kinew touted the idea of using the province’s emergency powers to free up more hotel rooms in Manitoba for wildfire evacuees, as some families continue to sleep on cots.When asked about Kinew’s comments, Daniels said hotel owners should remember the province is in the middle of a crisis, and they “should rise to the occasion.”With files from Rosana Hemple and Santiago Arias Orozco
Southern Chiefs Organization pitches in to help care for First Nations evacuees staying in southern Manitoba
