Latest news with #AlexMcDougall
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Manitoba needs more fire rangers to keep communities safe from future risks, chief says
The province is going to need to shore up its force of wildfire fighters in the future if it hopes to save more remote communities from having to endure the worsening cycle of forced evacuations, destroyed property and destruction of forests, says a northern Manitoba grand chief. Grand Chief Alex McDougall of Anisininew Okimawin — a coalition of First Nations from northeastern Manitoba's Island Lake area, which has been largely evacuated due to wildfires — says more boots on the ground would've been a game-changer for his region. "We wouldn't have that fire threatening our communities," said McDougall. "We wouldn't have these thousands of our people, of our communities, displaced from their homes into large urban areas, where sometimes they're not welcome." The worst Manitoba wildfire season in three decades has displaced nearly 13,000 evacuees from mostly northern and remote First Nation communities. It's the second wildfire wave since the end of May and Manitoba is under its second provincewide state of emergency. The provincial government plans to review the wildfire response going forward, as climate change could mean more active fire seasons in the future. McDougall hopes those reviews lead to bigger firefighting teams so crews can attack wildfires more quickly. "Where there is smoke there is fire, and we would deploy people to go and put it out right away," he said. "Right now the policy is to just let it burn and watch it and see what happens. And this is the result of it, you see a lot of communities displaced." A Manitoba government spokesperson told CBC News there are 58 full-time fire ranger staff, plus more than 300 more seasonal personnel. The union that represents wildfire fighters, the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, suggests this year's pool of workers amounts to 238 fire ranger members. That's about the same as it was in 2009, said MGEU. Union president Kyle Ross suggested the dangerous nature of the work makes it challenging to recruit people. "Not everybody is going to want to jump out of a helicopter and be dropped off in the bush for a day or two and fight a fire," Ross said. "Takes certain type of people to do that work." Manitoba fire crews do get help from other jurisdictions, though Ross questions how the province is supposed to expand its own workforce if fire rangers can make more money doing the same work out-of-province. Data from the federal government suggests Manitoba fire rangers make some of the lowest pay in Canada — $13/hour less than they would in British Columbia, where many more rangers are employed. Ian Bushie, Manitoba's natural resources minister, says a review of seasonal operations could lead the province to add more firefighter positions going forward. "That'll be part of the assessments as well, to be able to say where resources can be deployed in a strategic manner, but at the same time being able to address the needs across the province," Bushie said Thursday. "This is now our new normal, potentially, so how do we address that in a meaningful way?" Chief McDougall praised the provincial emergency management teams and fire crews for how efficient they were once his community evacuation got underway. He also believes having more firefighters available in Manitoba's arsenal would've enabled a more aggressive, quicker fire suppression effort that could have avoided the evacuation entirely. "It would've meant our community members staying at home," he said.
CBC
5 days ago
- CBC
Wildfire evacuees face new threats in Winnipeg, including drug dealers: grand chief
While evacuees flee the dangers of wildfires near their communities, many are now being forced to deal with a whole new set of threats in Winnipeg, including drug dealers and the fear of going hungry, a First Nations leader says. "They're running to escape one threat, but they're running into other threats in the evacuation areas," said Alex McDougall, interim grand chief of Anisininew Okimawin, which represents four nations in the Island Lake region, including Garden Hill Anisininew Nation. Last Wednesday, a full evacuation was ordered for Garden Hill due to a wildfire that continues to threaten the community of more than 4,500 people, located on the north shore of Island Lake. Many evacuees who were flown to Winnipeg, about 475 kilometres southwest of Garden Hill, are now living at temporary emergency shelters, including one at a soccer complex on Leila Avenue and another at a field house at the University of Winnipeg. McDougall said Tuesday he has heard from those in shelters about the threats they have been facing, including drug traffickers targeting community members at shelters. "We have predators that start targeting our young people," he said. Winnipeg police said last Wednesday that two men had been charged with trafficking cocaine outside hotels near Winnipeg's airport, where evacuees from the province's northern wildfires are currently staying. Along with fears of drugs and trafficking, McDougall said there are also real fears of evacuees going hungry or not eating properly while in shelters in the city. "We need to make sure children and elders are fed with an appropriate diet," he said. "That's a real concern." He is also worried about the boredom that could set in for many evacuees while in Winnipeg. "We have challenges with thousands of people that have been evacuated, trying to keep them busy with activities." 'Stressful for everybody': evacuee Winnie Harper, who has been staying at the temporary U of W shelter in downtown Winnipeg since being evacuated from Garden Hill, said staying there has been challenging for many, and most are hoping to get home as soon as possible. "It's very difficult. It's very stressful for everybody, being separated from their homes and being crammed into one spot," he said. He added he hopes more hotel rooms can be freed up in the city, so that more evacuees can get out of the makeshift shelters. "It would be more comfortable if everyone here had an available room to go to," Harper said. "There's kids and elderly people, and people are awake quite late. "It would be nice to have more privacy for everybody." While Garden Hill remains under a full evacuation order, the neighbouring communities of St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack First Nations have also declared local states of emergencies in the last 24 hours. Those communities started evacuating vulnerable residents, including elderly people, children and people with underlying medical conditions on Monday, but as of Tuesday, a full evacuation of those two communities has not gone into effect, while officials continue to monitor the threat from wildfires. McDougall acknowledged that because of some of the threats and challenges that evacuees are facing in Winnipeg, leaders in those communities are doing everything they can to avoid full evacuations if possible. "I've heard directly from leadership that if they don't have to evacuate, they're not going to evacuate," he said. Progress in fighting fires near Thompson Meanwhile, officials in Thompson continue to monitor two out of control wildfires burning near the city that is home to 13,000 residents who now remain on standby, and have been preparing for the possibility of an evacuation of the city. In a Tuesday morning update, the city said firefighting efforts have been bolstered by the arrival of 20 firefighters from Mexico who are joining Manitoba Wildfire Service firefighters. The city said Monday that cloud cover, light winds and some rain have helped Manitoba's firefighters make some progress in battling the two blazes growing closer to Thompson, which is the largest city in northern Manitoba. The City of Thompson said it will also be getting two new helicopters from Quebec to assist firefighters, which will add to an aircraft already in use. According to the province's latest fire bulletin, issued Tuesday, the Manitoba Wildfire Service was responding to 122 active wildfires across the province, and has responded to a total of 305 wildfires to date, well above the average for this time of year of 221 fires.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Firefighters in Garden Hill protect lumberyard from flames
A wildfire threatens to burn construction material on the Garden Hill First Nation that is needed to build homes in the surrounding region in northeastern Manitoba. Alex McDougall, interim grand chief of Anisininew Okimawin, which represents four Island Lake First Nations, estimates there's a shortage of 400 homes. If the fire consumes the material, it could take years to re-build inventory, partly due to the remoteness of the area that requires supplies be trucked in on winter roads. Alex McDougall photo Heavy smoke is seen in Garden Hill First Nation on Saturday. The blaze that threatens the community has burned 2,865 hectares thus far. 'If the materials do go up, that means that they'll probably have to go through the process of filing a claim for the material, trying to get that resupplied, and again, falling behind trying to respond to the chronic backlog of housing that our communities experience,' McDougall said Tuesday. The blaze that threatens Garden Hill, which has burned 2,865 hectares thus far, started on the south side of the community, where the bulk lumberyard is located. Fire crews are stationed at the yard day and night and have installed sprinklers to protect the supplies. 'It would be a devastating loss to the community if that material was to burn,' McDougall said. 'All too often as a very quick fix within our northern communities, what we see is portable homes and mobile homes being brought in, which aren't suitable to the environment and don't last long.' The chief said no homes or material had been lost as of Tuesday. About 90 per cent of Garden Hill residents had been evacuated as of Tuesday, but about 1,000 priority residents in St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack need to be evacuated. McDougall was told late Monday that Stevenson Island, another community in the region, may also have to evacuate. The only airstrip that's big enough to accommodate the Hercules aircraft, which the military is using to evacuate the area, is on Stevenson Island, which has 400 residents. On Tuesday, the Manitoba Wildfire Service said 122 wildfires were burning. This season, there have been 305 wildfires to date, well above the average of 221 fires for this date. In total, 12,000 Manitoba residents remained evacuated from eight communities. More than 6,000 were being housed in more than 2,100 Manitoba hotel rooms, while about 1,300 were staying in Ontario hotel rooms. The province has room for more than 7,000 evacuees at shelters, Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, said Monday. The northern city of Thompson continues to be under an evacuation notice owing to a nearby fire which has burned 163,000 hectares. Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook said in a daily radio update that firefighters continue to remove vegetation to reduce the fire risk in and around the city of 13,000 people. Twenty firefighters from Mexico are helping to prevent the spread of the fire toward Thompson, Smook said. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Thompson residents were asked to fill out pre-evacuation forms. The city has said an evacuation would be called if the nearby fire cuts off Highway 6, the vital link to the south. The province remains at a moderate to high fire danger level, the bulletin said. Much of Central Canada and Manitoba were placed under special air quality statements or warnings early Monday morning amid smoke from wildfires. Environment Canada advised residents to limit time outdoors and watch for smoke exposure symptoms. Nicole BuffieMultimedia producer Nicole Buffie is a multimedia producer who reports for the Free Press city desk. Born and bred in Winnipeg, Nicole graduated from Red River College's Creative Communications program in 2020 and worked as a reporter throughout Manitoba before joining the Free Press newsroom in 2023. Read more about Nicole. Every piece of reporting Nicole 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.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
3 of 4 Island Lake communities under states of emergency due to Manitoba wildfires
Two more communities in Manitoba's Island Lake region are preparing to evacuate vulnerable residents away from wildfires spreading out of control around them. St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack First Nations have declared local states of emergencies in the last 24 hours, said Grand Chief Alex McDougall of Anisininew Okimawin, an organization that represents four nations in the region. Vulnerable residents, including elderly people, children and people with underlying medical conditions are expected to start being evacuated from Wasagamack First Nation on Monday, Chief Walter Harper said. Two wildfires, one of them burning about 16 kilometres away west that started in recent days, have blanketed the community with smoke, resulting in deteriorating air quality. The First Nation, about 375 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, has been monitoring them by looking at satellite imaging and sending crews on the ground, but firefighting activity has been limited. Weather conditions have been unfavourable in recent days. The First Nation is hoping for some rain on Sunday, but Harper said they do not believe it will be of much help to douse the flames. About 2,300 people live in the community, Harper said. The First Nation chief spoke with Premier Wab Kinew on Sunday and said the community is expecting support from the province. "I need lots of tobacco offering to do a prayer for the rain to kind of put out the fire," the chief said. "We need firefighters too, we need water bombers." Wasagamack First Nation doesn't have an airport and the closest landing strips are in St. Theresa Point, Man., and Garden Hill, Man., said Vice-Chief Robert Harper. With heavy smoke drifting from the wildfires, there are concerns planes can't land, grounding Wasagamack's evacuation plans. "There's a lot of people with health conditions here asking if they're being sent out," he said. "There's smoke no matter which way the wind blows, except for the northeast." Harper said officials are "trying to get ahead of what we know is coming." Grand Chief Alex McDougall said the communities in the Island Lake region have been in conversations with Indigenous Services Canada and the Red Cross. He said there are concerns about the health of residents, especially with deteriorating air quality. "It is one of the drivers to calling a local state emergency and starting the process of evacuations," said Harper. He said there are also worries about fires growing closer to hydro corridors that could leave communities without power. Anisininew Okimawin has stressed to the federal and provincial governments the importance of sending firefighting resources — both human and equipment — to the region. Near Wasagamack, a stretch of the forest that burned in 2017 is a hotspot. If reached by the new wildfires, it could accelerate the spread toward the community. In Garden Hill Anisininew Nation, about 475 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, a sprinkler system has been set up and a fire line has been built to protect residences from the flames. A spokesperson for the province said the fire threatening that community is almost 2,500 hectares in size. The First Nation started evacuating residents on Thursday — the same day the province declared another state of emergency due to wildfires. On Saturday, there were about 750 evacuees staying at the emergency shelter set up in Winnipeg's Leila Avenue soccer complex, while around 500 more people slept at the University of Winnipeg recreation complex, the province said. As of 1 p.m. local time Sunday, the Canadian Armed Forces said they had evacuated over 1,550 residents from the Island Lake region. McDougall said the evacuations were expected to continue into Sunday. He hoped only leadership and emergency personnel would stay behind. Timothy Mentuck fled Garden Hill for Winnipeg with his wife, children and grandchildren on Friday, feeling dread as the family of 10 left their home and pets behind. He said the evacuation experience has been good so far and food has been readily available, but it's been difficult to get any sleep on the hard cots. His family, like many others, are waiting in a congregate shelter until hotel rooms become available in the city. "We'll probably have to wait another day or two to get a room," Mentuck said. "If I could go home tomorrow, I'd go home tomorrow." Meanwhile, cloud cover, light winds and even rain have helped Manitoba's wildfire service make some progress in battling two blazes growing closer to Thompson, the largest city in Manitoba's north, where roughly 13,000 residents have been preparing for a possible evacuation. The wildfires have spread slightly but they are moving to the north, away from the city. However, Mayor Colleen Smook told CBC News said that while she is hopeful with the change in weather patterns, Thompson is still preparing to get everybody out. "You get a huge wind and anything can happen," Smook said. The team of firefighters battling the blazes near Thompson is set to welcome about 40 firefighters from New Zealand and 20 others from Mexico in the coming days, the mayor said. The city is getting two new helicopters from Quebec to assist firefighters, which will add to an aircraft already in use. "Everything is ramping up to take care of the fire," she said. "It's a big area to cover." One of the two wildfires spreading closer to Thompson has stretched over 17,000 hectares, Smook said. According to the province's latest fire bulletin, issued Friday, the Manitoba Wildfire Service was responding to 107 active wildfires across the province, which has seen a total of 270 wildfires to date, which is well above the average for this time of year: 201. Preparations are being made to better protect Thompson in the event the wildfire stretches into the city. Crews have been removing brush, bulldozers are building fire lines and Manitoba Hydro has been clearing power lines. As a pre-emptive measure and due to worsening air quality, 33 residents were evacuated from a long-term care home on Friday. The city's medical centres, including its hospital, are also working with patients in critical condition to have a plan for their evacuation. More than 10,000 residents already pre-registered with the city last week to establish who needs transportation and shelter in the event of an evacuation. "We're getting to the point that we feel a little bit more optimistic that should the fire turn … I won't say we're totally prepared for it, but we're definitely in a good spot," the mayor said. Find the latest wildfire information at these sources: Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@
CBC
7 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
3 of 4 Island Lake communities under states of emergency due to Manitoba wildfires
Two more communities in Manitoba's Island Lake region are preparing to evacuate vulnerable residents away from wildfires spreading out of control around them. St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack First Nations have declared local states of emergencies in the last 24 hours, said Grand Chief Alex McDougall of Anisininew Okimawin, an organization that represents four nations in the region. Vulnerable residents, including elderly people, children and people with underlying medical conditions are expected to start being evacuated from Wasagamack First Nation on Monday, Chief Walter Harper said. Two wildfires, one of them burning about 16 kilometres away west that started in recent days, have blanketed the community with smoke, resulting in deteriorating air quality. The First Nation, about 375 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, has been monitoring them by looking at satellite imaging and sending crews on the ground, but firefighting activity has been limited. Weather conditions have been unfavourable in recent days. The First Nation is hoping for some rain on Sunday, but Harper said they do not believe it will be of much help to douse the flames. About 2,300 people live in the community, Harper said. The First Nation chief spoke with Premier Wab Kinew on Sunday and said the community is expecting support from the province. "I need lots of tobacco offering to do a prayer for the rain to kind of put out the fire," the chief said. "We need firefighters too, we need water bombers." Wasagamack First Nation doesn't have an airport and the closest landing strips are in St. Theresa Point, Man., and Garden Hill, Man., said Vice-Chief Robert Harper. With heavy smoke drifting from the wildfires, there are concerns planes can't land, grounding Wasagamack's evacuation plans. "There's a lot of people with health conditions here asking if they're being sent out," he said. "There's smoke no matter which way the wind blows, except for the northeast." Harper said officials are "trying to get ahead of what we know is coming." Grand Chief Alex McDougall said the communities in the Island Lake region have been in conversations with Indigenous Services Canada and the Red Cross. He said there are concerns about the health of residents, especially with deteriorating air quality. "It is one of the drivers to calling a local state emergency and starting the process of evacuations," said Harper. He said there are also worries about fires growing closer to hydro corridors that could leave communities without power. Anisininew Okimawin has stressed to the federal and provincial governments the importance of sending firefighting resources — both human and equipment — to the region. Near Wasagamack, a stretch of the forest that burned in 2017 is a hotspot. If reached by the new wildfires, it could accelerate the spread toward the community. In Garden Hill Anisininew Nation, about 475 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, a sprinkler system has been set up and a fire line has been built to protect residences from the flames. A spokesperson for the province said the fire threatening that community is almost 2,500 hectares in size. The First Nation started evacuating residents on Thursday — the same day the province declared another state of emergency due to wildfires. On Saturday, there were about 750 evacuees staying at the emergency shelter set up in Winnipeg's Leila Avenue soccer complex, while around 500 more people slept at the University of Winnipeg recreation complex, the province said. As of 1 p.m. local time Sunday, the Canadian Armed Forces said they had evacuated over 1,550 residents from the Island Lake region. McDougall said the evacuations were expected to continue into Sunday. He hoped only leadership and emergency personnel would stay behind. Timothy Mentuck fled Garden Hill for Winnipeg with his wife, children and grandchildren on Friday, feeling dread as the family of 10 left their home and pets behind. He said the evacuation experience has been good so far and food has been readily available, but it's been difficult to get any sleep on the hard cots. His family, like many others, are waiting in a congregate shelter until hotel rooms become available in the city. "We'll probably have to wait another day or two to get a room," Mentuck said. "If I could go home tomorrow, I'd go home tomorrow." Thompson mayor hopeful things are improving, but still preparing for possible evacuation Meanwhile, cloud cover, light winds and even rain have helped Manitoba's wildfire service make some progress in battling two blazes growing closer to Thompson, the largest city in Manitoba's north, where roughly 13,000 residents have been preparing for a possible evacuation. The wildfires have spread slightly but they are moving to the north, away from the city. However, Mayor Colleen Smook told CBC News said that while she is hopeful with the change in weather patterns, Thompson is still preparing to get everybody out. "You get a huge wind and anything can happen," Smook said. The team of firefighters battling the blazes near Thompson is set to welcome about 40 firefighters from New Zealand and 20 others from Mexico in the coming days, the mayor said. The city is getting two new helicopters from Quebec to assist firefighters, which will add to an aircraft already in use. "Everything is ramping up to take care of the fire," she said. "It's a big area to cover." One of the two wildfires spreading closer to Thompson has stretched over 17,000 hectares, Smook said. According to the province's latest fire bulletin, issued Friday, the Manitoba Wildfire Service was responding to 107 active wildfires across the province, which has seen a total of 270 wildfires to date, which is well above the average for this time of year: 201. Preparations are being made to better protect Thompson in the event the wildfire stretches into the city. Crews have been removing brush, bulldozers are building fire lines and Manitoba Hydro has been clearing power lines. As a pre-emptive measure and due to worsening air quality, 33 residents were evacuated from a long-term care home on Friday. The city's medical centres, including its hospital, are also working with patients in critical condition to have a plan for their evacuation. More than 10,000 residents already pre-registered with the city last week to establish who needs transportation and shelter in the event of an evacuation. "We're getting to the point that we feel a little bit more optimistic that should the fire turn … I won't say we're totally prepared for it, but we're definitely in a good spot," the mayor said.
