Northern Manitoba First Nation mourning one of its own, as wildfire challenges delay residents from returning home

O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation leaders say another wildfire season is exposing many of the same problems they faced last year. Now, as hundreds remain displaced, the community mourns the loss of one of its own Carol Joy Wood, 59, died in a single-vehicle ATV collision while serving as one of the essential workers who stayed back [...] The post Northern Manitoba First Nation mourning one of its own, as wildfire challenges delay residents from returning home appeared first on CityNews Winnipeg .

O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation leaders say another wildfire season is exposing many of the same problems they faced last year. Now, as hundreds remain displaced, the community mourns the loss of one of its own Carol Joy Wood, 59, died in a single-vehicle ATV collision while serving as one of the essential workers who stayed back in the community during the evacuation. MKO wouldn’t provide details on whether or not she was on her way to help someone when she crashed, only to say that the RCMP are investigating.

“Having to deal with a displacement, but then having to add on the loss of a loved one adds more trauma, adds more stress on the situation,” said Oliver Dysart, the Vice Chief of O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation. O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation says about 550 members have been evacuated since late June, while 71 people stayed to maintain critical infrastructure. Leaders say the community is still without reliable power, limited road access, and no timeline for when they can go back home.

“They say when it’s safe to do so, we cannot give you any dates of when your power will be restored. We understand that. But once they have access, we need them to send in as much as many manpower they can to quickly restore the power,” said O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation Chief Shirley Ducharme, Chief Ducharme said their issues this year are no different than last year’s wildfire season, as they continue to deal with a lack of emergency planning and medical supports.

“Preparedness needs to happen. So there’s no worry about safety,” said Chief Ducharme. Manitoba Hydro says crews are making plans to begin repairs.

However, they still can’t safely access the area because of the wildfire situation, and it’s too soon to say when power will be restored. A spokesperson for the province told CityNews, “Being forced to leave your community is an incredibly difficult experience. We helped support the evacuation of the O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation and continue to work with Indigenous leadership, the federal government, Red Cross and others on supports and assistance during this difficult time.

We continue to have daily communication to ensure the coordination of resources to the community. Manitoba Hydro has deployed staff to areas from where the wildfires have receded to assess the damage and repair critical infrastructure as soon as possible. Our priority is making sure the community has the supports they need.”

Dysart said, “They promised us that they would help, like clear-cutting, preparing these poles to prevent, but that support has never been there. And in situations like this, even the supports within the community, it seems like they’re the last department to act to support the community.” The post Northern Manitoba First Nation mourning one of its own, as wildfire challenges delay residents from returning home appeared first on CityNews Winnipeg .