Berens River chief seeks emergency food after Manitoba power outage

A Manitoba community is frustrated after it took Manitoba Hydro 2½ days to restore power knocked out by last weekend's windstorm.

Residents in Berens River First Nation rely on freezers packed with meat and fish to feed the community where food prices are high. The power outage forced residents to cook or throw out future meals.

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"Everything melted. We had to cook outside until about 9 p.m. last night to try to cook everything, because it started to smell," said Ruthann Cook, whose freezer stores food for 15 people.

"I was worried about the kids," Cook said.

"It's very sad," said Berens River Chief Jackie Everett. "Things have to change, is what I'm thinking."

After speaking with residents, Everett believes a lot of people lost all their food or the majority of their frozen and refrigerated food.

She was told Thursday night that people on social assistance in her community would receive two weeks of emergency government aid to compensate for food losses, but that doesn't help low-income members who are also struggling, she said.

"I'm here (in Winnipeg) to try to meet with various people, asking for assistance," said Everett. 

She's scheduled meetings with staff at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and the Red Cross. Everett is also advocating on behalf of nearby Poplar River First Nation, because that community lost their telephone connection in the recent windstorm and is unable to call out for help, she said. 

"I'm asking for some emergency assistance to compensate for food. That's all I'm asking for," said Everett.

The chief is disappointed with Manitoba Hydro's 2½ day response time, but the utility said it does not guarantee power.

"It angers me," said Everett. "There's a history in how Hydro is created.… You need water and you need land.… They use our First Nations with no compensation back."

Everett said she plans to meet with the federal government and create a future emergency plan for eastern Manitoba, which would include emergency generators, to cover future Hydro outages.