Press Releases

Grand Chief Kyra Wilson Thanks Federal Ministers for Responding to Military Assistance Request in Pimicikamak

Treaty One Territory, Winnipeg, MB (January 9, 2026) – Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Grand Chief Kyra Wilson is thanking Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience, and David McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, for approving the deployment of a specialized team from the Canadian Armed Forces to assist Pimicikamak Cree Nation following a prolonged and damaging power outage.

The federal support will provide targeted assessment and advisory assistance focused on water treatment and sewage systems, power generation, project management, and logistics, critical areas impacted by the outage during extreme winter conditions.

“I want to thank Ministers Olszewski and McGuinty for responding to the urgent request for help and for recognizing the seriousness of what our people are facing,” said Grand Chief Wilson. “This support is essential to stabilizing the situation, assessing the damage, and helping families safely and quickly return home.”

The power failure left homes without heat, caused widespread damage to water and sewer systems, and forced evacuations in the dead of winter. While emergency assistance is now in place, Grand Chief Wilson stressed that the crisis itself was avoidable.

“This was not a natural disaster,” she said. “This was a preventable infrastructure failure. When a First Nation needs military assistance just to restore basic living conditions, it points to a system that failed to invest early and responsibly.”

Grand Chief Wilson acknowledged the collaborative response involving Pimicikamak leadership, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, the Province of Manitoba, and federal partners, while emphasizing that emergency response must be followed by accountability and long-term solutions.

“We appreciate the work being done on the ground right now,” she said. “But emergency deployments cannot become the standing response to chronic infrastructure gaps in northern First Nations. Reliable power, safe water, and resilient systems are not optional, they are basic responsibilities.”

AMC will continue to press all responsible governments, including Manitoba Hydro, to fully account for what led to the outage and to commit to sustained investments that prevent future crises.

“Our people should never be forced from their homes in winter because systems failed them,” said Grand Chief Wilson. “This didn’t have to happen, and it must not happen again.”

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 151,000 First Nations citizens in the province, accounting for approximately 12 per cent of the provincial population. AMC represents a diversity of Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Nehetho / Ininew (Cree), Anishininew (Ojibwe-Cree), Denesuline (Dene) and Dakota Oyate (Dakota) people.