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Donald North Jr. and his family have been stuck in Winnipeg hotels for more than a month already, and every day has been exhausting.
“It’s kind of hard out here,” the Pimicikamak Cree Nation member said. “It’s busy out here. [I’m] new to the city. I don’t really know any resources.”
North was among the hundreds forced out of the northern Manitoba community after a days-long power outage led to frozen pipes, which burst and flooded homes once power was restored.
North’s three children, including a four-month-old boy, flew in to Winnipeg first. He and his wife drove in a few days after that.
Weeks later, the family still doesn’t know when they will be able to return.
“I believe we’re on a waiting list [for repairs],” North said Thursday. “And that waiting list, maybe not till summer. So that’s why we’re out here.”
It’s been 60 days since a downed power line caused the outage in the First Nation, about 520 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
The sun sets in Pimicikamak Cree Nation on Jan. 13, 2026, just days after the power outage. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)
Power was restored on Jan. 1. A military team brought in to assess the damage left on Jan. 11. But hundreds of evacuees forced out of the community during and after the outage are still unable to return.
“Our home is like a ghost town right now,” said Pimicikamak Grand Elder Raymond Robinson, who is helping co-ordinate emergency efforts from the First Nation.
“And having people, you know, displaced and not be able to come home is very stressful.”
Still working with local leaders: province
Robinson said the situation in the community is still “hectic,” with many homes still in dire need for repairs.
Between 400 to 500 homes were damaged by mould due to the flooding, but crews are still going into houses to ascertain the damage to each one, Robinson said.
“When they would open these doors, the water would just be coming right out of the entrance because nobody was there to check in.”
Members of Raymond Robinson’s family bundled up during the power outage in Pimicikamak Cree Nation in late December. (Submitted by Raymond Robinson)
A provincial spokesperson said Thursday 1,200 homes in Pimicikamak have been inspected.
The Manitoba government is still helping co-ordinate emergency efforts with the local leadership, and has set up two portable water treatment plants in the community, the spokesperson said.
The Canadian Red Cross continues to provide safe drinking water and grocery deliveries, with mental health and addiction supports being provided to residents through services in Thompson and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, they said.
People ‘frustrated’: elder
Robinson said evacuees are asking him how long they’ll have to stay in Winnipeg or Thompson.
“[I] try to keep the stress level of people out there … down. I know they’re frustrated, but I do my best,” he said.
A Manitoba Hydro spokesperson said in a statement power in Pimicikamak remains stable, and the utility is still supplying industrial heaters and delivering water bottles in the First Nation.
The Crown corporation is not responsible for damage resulting from the outage, the spokesperson said, but it has set up infrastructure for two temporary camps of outside contractors working on repairs in Pimicikamak.
The cause of the outage is still under investigation, the Hydro spokesperson said.
In Winnipeg, North — who works as a bus monitor with the Cross Lake Nation Authority — is currently spending some of his time picking up and dropping off Pimicikamak evacuees who are temporarily going to school in the city.
“I have no words to say about what’s going on out there … but I’m hoping they’ll work fast,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of people here having a hard time.”
WATCH | Pimicikamak evacuees still waiting to go home:
Wait to go home drags on after Pimicikamak power outage
It’s been nearly two months since a power outage and subsequent flooding due to frozen pipes caused widespread damage in Pimicikamak Cree Nation. Many people evacuated from the northern Manitoba community are still waiting to go home.
