Chief David Monias of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation urgently reached out to Prime Minister Mark Carney for aid in the midst of a dire power outage crisis gripping Cross Lake.
In a heartfelt letter penned on New Year’s Eve, Chief Monias expressed grave concern over the escalating public health and safety emergency facing the community. With hundreds of homes enduring a lack of power and heat, vulnerable members like elders, infants, children, and those with medical needs are in immediate jeopardy, he revealed.
Evacuations were already in progress, but local accommodations were strained to their limits, Chief Monias informed. Despite the collaborative efforts of various agencies, including Indigenous Services Canada and the Canadian Red Cross, the crisis had surpassed the capabilities of the local and regional response teams, prompting the urgent request for military intervention.
Following the widespread power outage that prompted the declaration of a state of emergency on Monday, the Pimicikamak Cree Nation, encompassing around 1,300 customers, has been grappling with the outage since late Sunday when a critical supply line across the Nelson River failed.
Initially promised to be resolved by Wednesday 6 p.m., Manitoba Hydro then adjusted the restoration timeline to Thursday 6 p.m. Chief Monias also highlighted the looming threats of flooding post-power restoration due to potential pipe bursts, which could lead to more families being displaced.