Monday, February 2, 2026
The federal government has deployed the Canadian military to Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba after a prolonged power outage and water treatment and sewage failures led to evacuation of residents.
The federal support will provide targeted assessment and advisory assistance focused on water treatment and sewage systems, power generation, project management, and logistics, critical areas impacted by the outage during extreme winter conditions, am Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs release said.
Federal minister of emergency management and community resilience Eleanor Olszewski and federal minister of national defence David McGuinty approved the deployment of a specialized team to the remote community.
“I want to thank Ministers Olszewski and McGuinty for responding to the urgent request for help and for recognizing the seriousness of what our people are facing. This support is essential to stabilizing the situation, assessing the damage, and helping families safely and quickly return home,” Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said.
Wilson also stressed the crisis, which left homes without heat and caused widespread damage to water and sewer systems was avoidable.
“This was not a natural disaster,” she said. “This was a preventable infrastructure failure. When a First Nation needs military assistance just to restore basic living conditions, it points to a system that failed to invest early and responsibly.”
Wilson also acknowledged collaboration between imicikamak leadership, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, the Province of Manitoba, and federal partners, the release said, and emphasized the emergency response “must be followed by accountability and long-term solutions.”
“We appreciate the work being done on the ground right now,” Wilson said. “But emergency deployments cannot become the standing response to chronic infrastructure gaps in northern First Nations. Reliable power, safe water, and resilient systems are not optional, they are basic responsibilities.”
