What was once called the jewel of Manitoba’s north is now a town in “absolute chaos,” residents say.
An open letter to the Manitoba and federal governments from a group of concerned Leaf Rapids residents, dated June 23, requests “intervention to address escalating concerns related to public safety, drinking water, food security, health care access, governance and community sustainability.”
It comes after a week of violence including murder and arson. The RCMP say their Major Crimes Unit, a canine unit and the North District Crime Reduction Enforcement Team have been sent to assist the local detachment deal with what they call “gang activity.”
A 21-year-old man was murdered on June 17.
“He was covered up in a tarp on the basketball court in front of the school,” says resident Lianna Anderson. “They had to close the school the entire time while his body laid out there.”
She estimates it was close to 20 hours before the body was removed. In the days that followed, RCMP say gunshots, arson, and thefts have kept police busy.
A 17-year-old was shot June 19 and is recovering.
This comes on top of the community living under a boil water advisory since 2013. Meanwhile, the only grocery store there is set to close.
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“That’s the only place where people can get drinking water,” Anderson says.
The next closest grocery store is an hour and a half away in Lynn Lake.
Leaf Rapids, a 10-hour drive north of Winnipeg, doesn’t have a municipal government as it couldn’t maintain a quorum. The province hired a Winnipeg firm to administer the town in 2019.
“They have been given a strict mandate in regards to what their contract agreement is and advocacy for community members, programs and services is not on the list,” Anderson says.
Ervin Bighetty was the town’s last mayor. He says the once-thriving mining town of 2,400 has been in decline since the copper and zinc mine closed in 2002.
“The town is slowly dying,” Bighetty says. “It was designed just to be here for the Ruttan Mine in the early ’70s and there was no plans for after it shut down… nobody paying their taxes and failing infrastructure and the (22-year) boil water advisory and, you know, it just accumulated problems.”
By 2021, only 351 people lived in Leaf Rapids, according to census data.
Wildfire in 2025 destroyed a portion of the community and left residents evacuated for months in Winnipeg.
Only 200-250 returned — some with new drug and alcohol problems, Anderson says.
“Nobody even tries to hide what it is that they’re doing in this community, it is so blatant,” she says.
Raymond Meunier is part of the citizens group trying to get help from provincial and federal governments.
“There are laws for basic human rights in this country and our rights are not being recognized right now,” Meunier says.
Neither level of government has responded to the open letter.
Manitoba’s Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations Glen Simard in an emailed statement to Global News said this year’s budget has nearly $600,000 for Leaf Rapids to improve water infrastructure and fix Manitoba Housing units. He says that money will also go towards road maintenance equipment and fire equipment.
“Manitoba will continue to assess the situation and direct resources when needed,” Simard said.
In the meantime, many residents are too afraid to leave their homes, says Anderson, while others fear what else can go wrong before help comes.
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