City of Winnipeg asks for provincial aid in storm aftermath

The City of Winnipeg is set to ask the province for help in the aftermath of a record-setting storm.

Mayor Brian Bowman introduced a motion Tuesday to call on the provincial government to provide disaster financial assistance under the Emergency Measures Act.

Bowman said city staff estimate more than 30,000 downed trees on public land, plus tens of thousands more on public property.

The cleanup process is expected to take months, possibly even extending into 2020, and will cost tens of millions of dollars, which Bowman called an ‘unreasonable financial burden’ on the city.

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“With the winter freeze coming, time is not on our side,” said Bowman.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "With the winter freeze coming, time is not on our side," said Bowman.

“We know that we’re going to need financial support from provincial and federal resources for disaster financial assistance.”

The mayor described the storm as causing “significant damage to private and public real and personal property, including the tree canopy within the City of Winnipeg’, and said the cleanup efforts have already resulted in significant financial cost to the city.

At its height, the storm caused upwards of 50,000 Manitobans to be without power, and as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, Manitoba Hydro said there were still more than 13,000 customers in the dark.

1:23 Winnipeggers clean up aftermath of massive October snowstorm