ManitobaErvin Bighetty, general manager of the Co-op in Leaf Rapids, is concerned about the lack of resources to help residents resettle, saying the town is “not ready” to receive people back after the wildfire.Local Co-op manager says town ‘not ready’ for people to return home Zubina Ahmed · CBC News · Posted: Sep 09, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours agoErvin Bighetty, centre-right, holds his infant son while posing in a picture with his family. They were evacuated from Leaf Rapids in northern Manitoba by wildfires in the summer of 2025. (Submitted by Ervin Bighetty)A resident of Leaf Rapids, a small northern Manitoba town, is urgently calling for support as evacuees begin returning home following a devastating wildfire.Ervin Bighetty, general manager of the Co-op in Leaf Rapids, is concerned about the lack of resources to help residents resettle, saying the town is “not ready” to receive people back after the wildfire and residents will have “a bunch of financial stress when they get home.”Leaf Rapids, located about 150 kilometres northwest of Thompson, declared a state of emergency on July 7. The town told its 300 residents they had to leave within 24 hours. The town has been without a mayor and council — and has been run by a provincially appointed administrator — since the council was dissolved in 2019, following the resignations of several members.Bighetty said one of the biggest challenges is that most homes have no insurance coverage.”Insurance companies don’t touch our town,” he said. “We’re too high risk. It’s in the middle of nowhere … low population, not many jobs. There’s not a lot for them to cover. And we are surrounded by forest.” He said people will be returning to homes that have no power — leaving refrigerators unusable and full of spoiled food — no heating, no food supplies and no way to store anything. He said the evacuees are supposed to return this week and the Red Cross has only given them partial payment. “I think every single person should get a fridge because it’s not their fault that the fire happened and it’s not their fault that their food spoiled,” Bighetty said. “It’s not their fault they have been gone for two months.”He said he has sent requests to the provincial government and some First Nations bands for immediate assistance but hasn’t received any responses yet. “I’m hoping the town and the province have things in order for when people return so they’re not suffering because they’ve already been through so much,” said Bighetty.Smoke billows up along the horizon from a fire near Leaf Rapids, Man., on July 7, the day the small northern town declared a state of emergency. (Submitted by Ervin Bighetty)The province said in a statement that it is aware of the challenges returning residents face, and staff are working on supporting them. The work includes reviewing the Disaster Financial Assistance program, which helps Manitobans recover by providing financial assistance for uninsurable losses. Such programs are established on a case-by-case basis when a natural disaster has a defined start and end date.Manitoba Hydro told CBC in an email that it expects to have at least the majority of Leaf Rapids customers’ power restored by end of day Monday and will update the customer count as soon as it knows more.The overhead lines are repaired as planned, the email said, but there may be damage to underground infrastructure caused by heavy machinery that was working in the area during the fires, clearing vegetation for fire breaks.ABOUT THE AUTHORZubina Ahmed is a reporter for CBC Manitoba. During her decade-long career in the Middle East and India, she covered news for sectors including politics, retail, sustainability, health care, technology, community initiatives and lifestyle. She can be reached at zubina.ahmed@cbc.ca.
Leaf Rapids resident pleads for support as evacuees start to return after wildfire
