Murray Wood: April is the most frustrating month on the prairies
As much of Saskatchewan deals with another spring snowstorm, Murray Wood says we're all asking the same question: This i...
PEGUIS FIRST NATION, MAN. — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is scheduled to visit a First Nation that is frantically preparing for what could be severe flooding.
Kinew and Lisa Naylor, minister of transportation and infrastructure, are to be in Peguis First Nation on Thursday afternoon to help with flood mitigation efforts and to meet with leadership.
Flood preparations began last week after the First Nation was warned that it could see water levels similar to those in 2022, when more than 2,000 residents were forced out and hundreds of homes were damaged.
Dozens of volunteers from across the country have been in the community, located along the Fisher River north of Winnipeg, helping set up sandbags and build clay dikes to protect homes.
The First Nation also put out a call Thursday, requesting community members help with sandbagging.
The province has said there may be evacuations if water cuts off road access to the community.
Peguis First Nation Chief Stan Bird has said about 225 homes require flood protection, such as sandbags or water-filled barriers commonly known as Tiger Dams.
The community, considered the largest First Nation in Manitoba, has more than 10,000 members. Data from the federal government suggests roughly 3,800 live in the reserve.
Peguis First Nation has dealt with several floods in recent decades.
It was relocated in 1907 — from good farming land close to Winnipeg to its current location on a flood-prone river delta — under a surrender of land to the federal government later deemed illegal.
The province’s last spring flood outlook on Tuesday shows an increased flood risk in the Interlake region, which Peguis is part of, due to warmer weather earlier this week. Runoff in the Fisher and Icelandic River basins could start next week, with peak flows between April 23 and 28.
The outlook also sites an elevated risk of overland flooding in the Parkland region. Elsewhere across the province, the risk remains moderate to low.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2026.
The Canadian Press
