The chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, whose residents stay in inns following an influence outage and frozen pipes, says extra members of the navy and tradespeople are on their manner to assist.
Chief David Monias informed reporters that he was anticipating as much as about 130 individuals to return to the neighborhood within the coming days.
The announcement Monday got here as seven members of the Canadian Armed Forces arrived that morning to assist.
“Nearly each home will in all probability want a restore in a single type or one other; it might be from minor repairs to main repairs,” Monias informed reporters, including the injury to properties fluctuate together with one which has a full “crack” by way of it.
As a part of the navy’s arrival on Monday, Monias stated the members had met with the nation’s native crew to take a tour and conduct an evaluation of the water plant.
Officers in the neighborhood are nonetheless making an attempt to find out the extent of the injury to the greater than 1,300 properties in Pimicikamak, practically two weeks following the ability outage that led to the failure of crucial infrastructure.
A minimum of 4,400 individuals have been evacuated, Monias stated, with greater than 1,200 presently housed in inns in Thompson, Man., although many have travelled to different communities for housing.
Get every day Nationwide information
Get the day’s prime information, political, financial, and present affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox as soon as a day.
Figuring out the injury has been tough due to sources, with eight plumbers making an attempt to maneuver from one finish of the neighborhood to the opposite.
“They’re actually sleeping two hours a day,” Monias stated.
He stated extra members of the navy are anticipated to return on Wednesday, with engineering specialists amongst these set to reach.
Some staff already in the neighborhood, nevertheless, are sick after dropping entry to scrub water, Monias stated, including that it has been robust to search out satisfactory washroom and bathe amenities for the extra plumbers and different staff coming to assist with water and electrical points.
He stated a cell camp that may accommodate 30 individuals is being arrange and the neighborhood has requested an organization to erect a brief water therapy plant, so dwelling circumstances for staff can enhance and repairs aren’t delayed.
Whereas work continues to be underway to find out what must be fastened by way of infrastructure and the sources wanted to repair it, Pimicikamak Coun. Shirley Robinson says the query stays when individuals will return residence.
“Residents are sharing with us their loneliness for residence as a result of they haven’t actually settled into our nation for the previous six months now the place we have been evacuated again and again,” Robinson stated. “They’re experiencing emotional and psychological misery as a result of it’s not wholesome to be secluded in 4 partitions in a lodge room, particularly with households too.”
December’s outage is the second time in lower than a 12 months that residents needed to go away the neighborhood, having been evacuated final spring resulting from wildfires.
“Our individuals, like proper now, they’re traumatized from all of this,” she added.
Monias informed reporters on Monday he’s additionally involved in regards to the residents dwelling in inns and the way lengthy they’ll be capable of keep.
There stays no timeline for when residents will return residence, although the chief stated he’s hoping to get issues fastened “in a matter of weeks, not months,” so that individuals can be residence earlier than the spring.
—with recordsdata from The Canadian Press and World Information’ Moosa Imran and Hersh Singh
© 2026 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
