The federal government is sending the military to help Pimicikamak Cree Nation after a days-long power outage led to damage to hundreds of homes and the evacuation of thousands of people.
In a letter posted to the social media site X on Friday afternoon, Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s emergency management minister, said a “specialized team” from the Canadian Armed Forces will be deployed to the northern Manitoba First Nation.
Military personnel will provide “targeted assessment and advisory support focused on water treatment and sewage systems, power generation, project management and logistics,” Olszewski said.
The decision to send military personnel follows a request from Pimicikamak Cree Nation nine days ago.
Okay, maybe I’ve been reading too many historical accounts as of late, but the title by itself sounded like a military action meant to round up the Cree in order to violently/forcibly intern/confine them back onto their reservation.
Yes, I’ve read the article. It’s the phrasing of the TITLE that gave me such pause the moment I first saw it.
It’s easy to forget that many of our homes and buildings are a few hours without power away from significant water damage like those affected here.