Manitoba government urges tourists not to visit as 21,000 people flee wildfires

WINNIPEG — Manitoba urged tourists Monday to hit pause on visiting the province for now as it fights to find shelter for a growing legion of wildfire evacuees that has now reached 21,000.

It was one of multiple provinces battling marauding forest fires that have spawned sweeping, soaring tendrils of gauzy wood smoke across the country and beyond.

“This is one of the largest evacuations in our province’s history,” said Lisa Naylor, the Manitoba minister in charge of emergency management.

“The government anticipates there may be a need for more hotel rooms as the wildfire season continues. For that reason, we are urging Manitobans and Canadians to reconsider non-essential travel and event plans within Manitoba.”

Naylor acknowledged it’s a difficult situation.

“We absolutely know how important tourism is to Manitoba and we are very mindful of the many workers whose livelihoods depend on a strong tourism sector.”

The Manitoba Hotel Association estimates there are 15,000 hotel rooms in the province.

The province has set up four congregate shelters for wildfire evacuees, with reception centres in Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson.

Manitoba has more than 300 firefighters battling blazes from the remote northwest down through the southeast. Crews have come from other provinces and the United States, and more U.S. crews were expected Monday.

There were 28 active wildfires as of Monday, 10 of which are out of control.

Continued firefighting, along with a bit of weekend rain, has kept the fires from overwhelming evacuated communities.

The largest fire, menacing the city of Flin Flon and its surrounding communities, spans more than 3,000 square kilometres.

All 5,000 residents of Flin Flon and thousands more in the surrounding area remain out. In north-central Manitoba, fires have forced 6,700 out of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation.

In total, there are 27 communities under evacuation orders.

Kristin Hayward, with the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said 74 charges and 28 warnings have been issued for those breaking the fire rules.

She referred to two arson charges laid by RCMP last month, but said arson is not a widespread problem.

“The majority of what we see are fires that start because of carelessness,” Hayward said.

Thousands also remained out of their homes in Saskatchewan and Alberta, including between 10,000 and 15,000 in Saskatchewan alone.

Saskatchewan officials, in a Monday update, said rain has helped crews contain the fires while allowing residents, including those in the hamlet of Weyakwin and some from Pelican Narrows, to return.

“We’re now turning a corner,” said Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod.

Crews are battling 25 wildfires, and 33 communities are under full or limited evacuation orders.

McLeod said they have asked the federal government to provide two base camps to support crews and tents for sheltering up to 200 people as the work begins to clean up and rebuild damaged communities.

About 7,000 in and around La Ronge remain out of their homes.

In northern Ontario, officials said Canada’s military has evacuated more than 700 people out of harm’s way as a major wildfire threatens the Sandy Lake First Nation near the Manitoba boundary.

It’s unclear how many residents are still waiting to be evacuated from the community of more than 2,000.

In British Columbia, the provincial wildfire service said crews were preparing for “extreme fire behaviour” in the province’s northeast as a second dry cold front was forecast to move through.

The service said strong wind gusts are expected in some areas, which could fan the flames.

The warning comes after the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire formed over the weekend, quickly growing into a wildfire of note — one of three in B.C.’s northeast that have prompted a series of evacuation orders.

There are currently more than 80 fires burning, with more than half listed as out of control.

Meanwhile, smoke from the fires was moving from a transnational problem to a transglobal one.

Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder said that from B.C. to Quebec, Canadians could likely see and smell the sooty wildfire smoke staining the country’s skies orange and red.

“We’re seeing smoke present almost everywhere,” Flisfeder said. “When we look at satellite imagery, we can see the presence of smoke stemming from these wildfires making their way across the Atlantic towards the U.K. and parts of Europe.”

He said the haze in the Earth’s upper atmosphere isn’t dangerous, but that there is always the chance it descends and becomes a health risk.

Flisfeder added winds are expected to shift in the coming days.

— With files from Jeremy Simes in Regina, Aaron Sousa in Edmonton and Brieanna Charlebois in Vancouver

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press