‘Collective effort' to protect evacuees

Winnipeg Free Press

05-06-2025

Proactive measures taken by law enforcement and others will help keep vulnerable wildfire evacuees safe while far from home, the grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak said Thursday.
'This initiative will address a lot of the concerns our leadership have — drug trafficking, human trafficking and sexual violence on our women, these are our utmost concerns,' said MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee.
'This is a collaborative effort to protect our people, and it takes a collaborative effort to be able to do what we need to do.'
Settee made the comments at a Winnipeg Police Service news conference, jointly held with RCMP, where officials discussed what they're doing to ensure evacuees are protected.
'It's all about keeping our people safe,' said Settee. 'We will do it together — we must do it together.'
At least 14,000 evacuees, many from northern First Nations, have fled to Winnipeg as wildfires threatened their home communities and the province declared a state of emergency.
During past evacuations due to natural disasters, Settee said, First Nations leaders have seen exploitation and predatory behaviour.
'We've heard stories, in previous evacuations, that there are people going around trying to find people to sell drugs to and also trying to apprehend young women,' said Settee. 'This is a proactive approach.
Winnipeg police community engagement Supt. Bonnie Emerson said measures include police liaison teams going to shelters and hotels daily to have conversations with evacuees and service providers, planning safety forums at the sites, and setting up a phone number for evacuees to call.
Provincial officials understand there can be 'risks and challenges' in congregate shelters, Natural Resources Minister Lisa Naylor said at a briefing at the legislature Thursday.
She said the province has partnered with the Downtown Community Safety Partnership to increase patrols downtown and is working with the Red Response Team on 'proactive intervention, de-escalation and social supports.'
'These are cultural advisers who go to the sites where the evacuees are staying and provide cultural activities for children and youth,' Naylor added.
The minister said the province is working with MKO to bring in First Nation safety officers to provide support.
Indigenous security companies have mobilized to assist, said Settee. The grand chief also hopes for increased resources to support the mental and emotional well-being of evacuees.
The city police service stood up its emergency response operations centre and has put more cruiser cars out on the road in case of an uptick in calls for service, said WPS Insp. John Lutz, a major incident response team commander.
There hasn't been a big jump in emergency calls to date, said Lutz, adding officers have dispatched to about 70 calls for service at shelters and hotels since last week.
Police would not reveal further details of those calls for service, but Emerson said she's not aware of any charges being laid to date in connection with incidents at evacuee centres.
City police have also logged about 167 'proactive engagements' in the area of shelters, which has included keeping an eye on parking lots and conducting traffic enforcement.
Elsewhere in the province, Mounties have deployed extra officers in communities in its jurisdiction where evacuees have fled to, said RCMP Insp. Catherine Light.
Those Mounties have been conducting walkthroughs of evacuation centres and hotels, doing extra patrols, and speaking with evacuees about their concerns, said Light.
'We're all here to help… don't be afraid to speak up,' said Light.
— with files from Chris Kitching
[e-mail]
Erik PinderaReporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.