First Nations Leaders Call for Urgent Action to Secure Hotel Accommodations for Evacuees in Winnipeg
May 31, 2025
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
AMC Communications
Treaty One Territory, Winnipeg, MB – As wildfires continue to ravage northern Manitoba, First Nations leaders are issuing an urgent call for immediate housing solutions for evacuees who have been forced to flee their homes with little notice. With a provincial state of emergency now in effect, leadership says action is needed to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Thousands of First Nations citizens, including Elders, children, and individuals with serious medical conditions, are currently seeking refuge. Many have arrived in Winnipeg and other locations with nowhere to go and limited access to necessities. Leaders say current shelter arrangements are overcrowded and inadequate.
“We are calling on all hotels and accommodations in Winnipeg and across the province to open their doors to displaced First Nations families,” said Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC). “These are our relatives, our neighbours, and fellow Manitobans. They need safe shelter immediately.”
The state of emergency declaration provides the Province of Manitoba with the authority to commandeer facilities and allocate resources. First Nations leaders are urging the province to exercise these powers without delay.
“We are pleading with hotel operators across Manitoba, please find room for our people,” said Chief David Monias of Pimicikamak Cree Nation. “Families have fled their homes under terrifying conditions and have nowhere to go. We need you to act now. Open your doors, work with us and help ensure our citizens are treated with dignity during this crisis.”
Councillor Kelly Linklater said, “Our people are exhausted, displaced, and desperate for stability. Many of our evacuees arrived in Winnipeg late last night with no clear place to go. We need hotel rooms now. We’re not asking for comfort, we’re asking for safety. We need governments and hotel operators to act today.”
Grand Chief Garrison Settee of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) stated, “This is a matter of basic human dignity. We need hotels and decision-makers to work with us to ensure evacuees are housed properly. These individuals are not tourists—they are people escaping disaster, and they deserve better.”
“My prayers are with our people, especially those whose health and safety are at risk by these devastating wildfires, those who have had to leave their homes and territories to evacuate. Without the necessary infrastructure and resources to support prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, our people will continue to be disproportionately negatively affected by these wildfires.”
First Nations Leaders are willing to work in unity with all levels of governments and regional leadership, to support ongoing evacuation efforts. However, the need for immediate and dignified accommodations is paramount.
“We cannot leave families to wait in limbo, in unsafe conditions, while facilities sit empty,” added Grand Chief Wilson. “We urge hotel operators and all levels of government to step up and help our people now.”
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For more information, please contact:
Communications Team
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Email: media@manitobachiefs.com
About The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs:
The AMC was formed in 1988 by the Chiefs in Manitoba to advocate on issues that commonly affect First Nations in Manitoba. AMC is an authorized representative of all 63 First Nations in Manitoba with a total of more than 172,000 First Nations citizens in the province, accounting for approximately 12 percent of the provincial population. AMC represents a diversity of Anishinaabe, Nehetho / Ininew, Anisininew, Denesuline, and Dakota Oyate peoples.