Two months after people from Tataskweyak Cree Nation were forced from their community by wildfires and issues with the water treatment plant, they are finally starting to head back home.
In a Facebook live address to community members on Monday evening, Chief Doreen Spence said there will be a staggered return so everyone isn’t returning en mass.
Staff are on the way back now, and on Friday and Saturday, there will be flights from Winnipeg, first for elders and families with small children.
People will be flown to Thompson and then bused home to the community on Split Lake, about 115 kilometres northeast of Thompson.
“We’re giving you guys the option of sending somebody home first to check out your house, to clean it. Just keep your family in Thompson until your house is looked at or assessed, because it might not be in good condition when you get home,” Spence said.
Tataskweyak first declared a state of emergency on May 29 due to a wildfire that prompted the evacuation of about 200 people. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for the remaining residents the following day.
Some were flown as far away as Niagara Falls for hotel rooms, while others have been staying in Brandon and Winnipeg.
Tataskweyak has a registered population of 4,307, with about 2,500 living on the reserve, Indigenous Services Canada says.
The evacuation order was lifted June 16, but before anyone could return, a state of emergency was declared the following morning over concerns about the community’s water treatment plant. Manitoba Hydro then posted a notification of a community-wide power outage to repair power structures that were damaged by wildfire.
Not long after that, flames swept back into the community, quickly spread by heavy winds. At least seven homes were destroyed.
In her Facebook live address, Spence said people will likely have to throw out all the food in their refrigerators and freezers due to the power outages.
It wasn’t until July 22 that the water treatment plant was once again operational, but a post on social media said work still needed to be done, including flushing water lines and conducting water quality tests, before residents could return.
Although the fire remains out of control at 25,225 hectares, the province’s most recent update, on July 27, said Tataskweyak is safe again.
