Province has to adapt to more intense fire seasons: Kinew
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/07/2025 (252 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The province will have to adapt in order to keep people safe as wildfire seasons become more ferocious and common, Premier Wab Kinew said Wednesday.
Kinew said there are too many people evacuated for the amount of hotel rooms in the province, and things will have to change.
“Our province is going to have to adapt to many things at the same time,” he said at an unrelated press conference at Brandon University. “One of them is the impacts of a changing climate.”
The province is currently under its second state of emergency because of 123 active wildfires, which are mostly burning in northern Manitoba.
“You’re talking about close to 12,000 people out of their homes, which is a huge human cost,” Kinew said. “That’s also more hotel rooms than we have in the entire province. So it’s definitely a big challenge.”
Kinew said people have had to sleep on cots because of a lack of available rooms, adding that the response from the hotel sector has been great.
“Hotels, in terms of the people who work there, have been really good partners to us,” he said.
Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said Tuesday that nearly 1,000 people were staying at hotels in the city. The Red Cross refused to confirm specific numbers, saying only that as of July 11, it had registered more than 24,300 people from more than 9,700 homes in Manitoba.
Spokesperson Heather Hogan said finding accommodations for evacuees is a top priority.
“Hotel space is being prioritized for people who have been identified as having unique needs and may require additional supports,” she said. “Hotel rooms will be provided for other evacuees as space becomes available.”
Kinew said the province has learned lessons from the first round of evacuations.
“Manitobans have been amazing,” he said. “Part of what we know about moving people around the province is that it’s not just heads on beds. People need support.”
Some places don’t have the amenities necessary to keep people healthy and safe, so they can’t be housed there. Without the washroom or shower space, or a way to get out in case of a fire, it just isn’t possible to have people stay in some locations.
“Communities in Manitoba have been great. Manitobans have been great at putting up the hand and saying, ‘Count me in, I’m ready to help.’
“Where we’re actually putting people and sheltering folks … has to do with us being able to adequately meet the health care, basic needs and other services that we have to be able to provide.”
The province said Wednesday it has had 310 wildfires so far this year. The average for this time of year is 225.
» alambert@brandonsun.com