Power restored for two First Nations, allowing residents to return

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This article was published 01/10/2021 (1182 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The power is back on for two remote northern First Nations forced to evacuate this summer after wildfires damaged community Hydro poles.

Manitoba Hydro confirmed that Pauingassi and Little Grand Rapids First Nations were “energized” as of noon Saturday, noting the Canadian Red Cross and community leaders would be in charge of helping residents return home.

In August, Manitoba Hydro announced 91 poles and 35 structures on the line serving the communities were damaged by forest fires, causing a long-standing outage affecting more than 1,500 people. Though many residents had already evacuated due to risk from the fires, their stays in hotels across Winnipeg were extended several weeks as crews worked to restore the power on the line.

In a phone call Saturday, Manitoba Hydro media relations officer Bruce Owen said the line serving both communities extends to Bloodvein, and work to restore power along the line was similar to the process of resetting a fuse in the home.

Difficult terrain, including poles mounted on rock outcrops, made restoration time consuming, Hydro has said. Repairs to damaged poles and structures were completed earlier in the week, leaving crews to monitor power restoration over the weekend.

“Our goal all along was to get the power on as quickly as possible,” said Owen.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and First Nations leaders had previously criticized Manitoba Hydro for delays in restoring power to the communities, calling for a state of emergency to encourage faster restoration.

Chief and council members for Little Grand Rapids and Pauingassi were not available for comment Saturday, however a flyer from the Canadian Red Cross shared on social media indicated residents from Little Grand Rapids would begin flying home on Monday.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers