Evacuees wrestle with red tape for daily stipend

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This article was published 11/06/2025 (288 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — Firefighters held the line or made progress against some out-of-control wildfires in Manitoba Tuesday, while some evacuees faced barriers to qualify for a $34-per-day stipend that began last week.

Sheryl Matheson, deputy mayor of Sherridon, said Canadian Red Cross officials told some of the community’s 60 evacuees, who are staying in hotel rooms in Dauphin, they would have to travel to a reception centre in Winnipeg — a roughly seven-hour return trip — to verify their identity in person to begin receiving payments.

“It’s really hard that they’re already displaced, and they can’t get that financial support,” Matheson said by phone from Dauphin. “Most of it is, ‘We need to validate your ID,’ but no one is here to do that.”

Many of the evacuees do not have photo ID, do not speak English as a first language, or do not have access to email or online banking, she said.

Matheson said she hasn’t seen any Red Cross officials in Dauphin, where some evacuees from Flin Flon and Cranberry Portage are also staying.

She later published an open letter on social media, urging the Red Cross to provide urgent, practical and on-the-ground solutions.

“The system in place assumes a level of digital and logistical access that simply does not exist for many evacuees,” Matheson wrote.

She hailed local volunteers who’ve been providing meals and essentials to evacuees in Dauphin, and also thanked the province’s emergency social services for providing accommodations.

“I’m really thankful to the people of Dauphin,” Matheson told the Free Press.

About 21,000 evacuees from 27 communities have registered with the Red Cross in one of Manitoba’s largest-ever evacuations.

A Sherridon evacuee, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, said she phoned the Red Cross Monday to learn the status of the online registration form she submitted June 4.

“My status was listed as ‘not impacted by wildfire,’” the woman said. “I asked why it stated that. They said my community wasn’t impacted. I just felt very frustrated.”

Sherridon, about 900 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, has had a mandatory evacuation order since May 26.

The woman said she left her name and phone number for a manager. She was waiting for a return call Tuesday.

She said funds from the Wildfire Incidental Support Program will help cover the cost of some essentials for her and her eight-year-old child.

“There are some of us that don’t have a lot of income,” the woman said.

The Red Cross is distributing funds to evacuees from municipalities and non-First Nation communities on the provincial government’s behalf. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak is distributing funds to First Nation evacuees on behalf of the federal government.

Eligible evacuees aged 13 and older receive $34 per day, while those aged 12 and under receive $27 per day.

Tracy Wheeler-Anderson, who was forced to leave Cranberry Portage, phoned the Red Cross twice Monday regarding the status of her registration application.

She is hoping to receive funds to help cover the cost of food while she is displaced.

“They said my ID had not been validated and I’d have to do that in person in Winnipeg, Brandon or Thompson,” said Wheeler-Anderson, who is staying with family in Crystal City, about 140 kilometres southeast of Brandon. “My first thought was I would burn as much money in gas going to validate my ID as I would be getting back.”

She believes some people who are answering calls to the Red Cross may not have complete information.

A Red Cross spokesperson said people may be asked to meet in person with a representative if their identity cannot be verified with information provided during the registration process.

People who are unable to visit in person should contact the Red Cross to discuss options, such as virtual authentication, that are best suited to their situation, the spokesperson said.

» Winnipeg Free Press