An evacuated Manitoba First Nation left in the dark after wildfires knocked out power says the return of residents could be fast-tracked if the community was outfitted with generators — but the province’s hydro provider says it’s focusing on repairs instead.Pukatawagan’s council had been in talks with Manitoba Hydro and the province to get generators, and temporarily supply electricity to the remote community while the Crown corporation restores the power infrastructure destroyed by out-of-control blazes earlier this summer, Deputy Chief Kelly Linklater told CBC News.Without generators, Linklater said it is unclear when Pukatawagan will get power back, which is needed to lift the evacuation order in the community — one of the longest-running in Manitoba this wildfire season — that could be expected to remain in place until mid-September.Peter Chura, a spokesperson for the Crown corporation, said Manitoba Hydro “understands the strain the community is under,” but says crews will refrain from installing generators at this time. “We’re confident that our efforts in our resources are best put toward repairing the damage and restoring the power,” Chura told CBC News.For Linklater, “That’s not acceptable … they are not looking at the best interest of the community,” in the context of the ongoing evacuation from the community.”Is Manitoba Hydro going to be covering the cost for us, for their customers being out here?”WATCH | Pukatawagan residents waiting to return home nearly 2 months after wildfires forced them out:Pukatawagan residents waiting to return home nearly 2 months after wildfires forced them outThe fly-in community of Pukatawagan, also known as Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, is under one of the longest evacuation orders in Manitoba this wildfire season, dragging out for close to two months by the end of July. Pukatawagan leadership says it might still be weeks before residents can go back.Pukatawagan, also known as Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, had estimated residents could start returning in late August. Linklater said now that might not happen until the second week of September. “If they want us to assist us in getting our people back home, then of course they can do that,” he said, referring to installing the generators.Evacuees from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, also known as Pukatawagan, gather in Winnipeg in June after wildfire forced the remote, fly-in community to evacuate in late May. For many residents, it’s been months since they last set foot in their homes, and many want to go back soon. (Submitted by Brenda Dumas)A spokesperson for the province said there are ongoing calls with communities to coordinate various levels of support, but it would be “premature” to comment on what role Manitoba could play in supporting the residents of Pukatawagan to go back home. “By focusing on repairing the damaged line, we will be able to re-energize the community more quickly,” Manitoba Hydro said in a statement. Alternative used beforeManitoba Hydro’s decision came as a surprise to Linklater, who said the Crown corporation has used generators as an alternative in the past, and argues the cost of having evacuees displaced is greater than installing the devices. During the 2022 wildfire season, Manitoba Hydro installed two generators in Pukatawagan that were enough to power the remote community, sitting about 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, for weeks until the infrastructure damaged by wildfires was rebuilt, Linklater said. With far more damage to hydro infrastructure this summer, installing generators might be harder, but Linklater said the level of damage heightens the need for generators, given the timeline for power restoration can run longer.”I don’t know what the issue is, I don’t know why you have to fix up the whole line before they start sending us back home,” he said. “Their priorities are obviously not with Pukatawagan.” Damaged hydro poles lies in a charred landscape in the RM of Lac du Bonnet in an undated handout photo from Manitoba Hydro. Wildfires have damaged transmission lines through the province, and the utility says it is focusing on repairs around Pukatawagan to restore power to the community. (Submitted by Manitoba Hydro)Moving machinery of the size of a generator into an isolated community like Pukatawagan would demand logistics and resources that Hydro’s spokesperson Chura says are best directed at the moment to move material into the First Nation to restore power.”There would be difficulty especially with the rail line having restrictions on right now moving that kind of equipment up into the community, which would come at the cost of any of the other material,” he said. But residents have been out of their homes for more than two months already, and Linklater said any efforts that could help them come back home sooner should be seized. “We’ve been out since May 29 … people are getting lonely to be out,” he said. “In a couple of weeks, school will be starting. If we don’t get going home quickly, what are we going to do about the education of our kids?”The remote, fly-in First Nation was put under a mandatory evacuation order after an out-of-control wildfire spread to within about a kilometre of the community at the end of May. Residents were relocated throughout Manitoba, and as hotel vacancies started running low in the province, some went to Niagara Falls, Ont.The blaze that forced Pukatawagan out is no longer an imminent danger to the community, Linklater said. Manitoba Hydro has made progress in restoring damaged infrastructure — replacing or repairing around half of nearly 200 poles damaged — but wildfires have caused more damage along the transmission line, and much of the remaining work is in remote areas difficult to access. “Our crews moved in there in about the middle of July once rail access became available,” Chura said. “But more damage from fire happened after that and we’re just regaining access to those areas to assess the damage.”The Crown corporation said there’s still no timeline for when power might be restored in Pukatawagan.Air purifiers and preparationPukatawagan, seen in this picture from early August, was blanketed by wildfire smoke. The First Nation wants to install air purifiers before residents return home. (Submitted by John Colomb)With heavy smoke from wildfires blanketing the First Nation, Pukatawagan has been looking into buying and installing air purifiers for residents. Linklater said Pukatawagan’s council wants to outfit homes, office buildings, the school and nursing station with the devices before residents return, in hopes of preventing a new evacuation later on due to poor air quality. The First Nation is in talks to get funding from Indigenous Services Canada for support in the purchase of around 600 units, he said. CBC News reached out to the federal agency for comment. The acquisition of generators and air purifiers for Pukatawagan, along with training residents on fire suppression, is also about planning for future wildfire seasons, said Linklater. “We very much appreciate everybody’s assistance in this emergency,” he said. But Linklater says if the community put some of these preparation measures in place, in future wildfire seasons, “we don’t have to be dependent on anybody to take care of us, we can take care of ourselves.”Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@findhelp.ca.
Unsure when Hydro repairs will finish, Pukatawagan asks for generators so evacuees can return home
