Treaty 1 Territory – The Interlake Reserves Tribal Council (IRTC) is ending the state of emergency declaration this afternoon at 12:00pm on May 9, 2025. The state of emergency declaration was made on Monday May 5th, 2025, due to the grass fires and forest fire potential in Lake Manitoba, Kinonjeoshtegon, Peguis, and Pinaymootang First Nations.

Chief McLean goes on to state “We want to thank all staff, leadership and the firefighters for working together in unity with Indigenous Services Canada and the Canadian Red Cross. The important thing is no lives were lost and there were only 3-5 homes in the community involved in all community emergencies. We all worked together on this important event and in unity, and it shows why the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council is the lead in emergency management across the province.”

The four communities involved during this time needed quick decision making and manpower to control the grass fires that threatened the communities housing units and lives. However, fire fighters and fire trucks were deployed with firefighting equipment that battled the grass fires for a total of 5 days.

Karl Zadnik, Chief Executive Officer for IRTC goes on to the say “My chiefs and staff were integral to the success of putting this emergency to rest. Fires can impose considerable damage to communities: their homes, lives and of course the quality of air to breathe, which poses a risk to elders and the vulnerable people living in our communities. We have been the lead in emergency management for years since 2011 when we saved the City of Winnipeg and Brandon from flooding and the 2019 power outages. We truly couldn’t have done this without our staff in communities and IRTC led by our united Chiefs. Also, a big thank you to Indigenous Services Canada and the Canadian Red Cross for their additional support.”

For immediate contact information on this event contact Karl Zadnik, at [email protected]