Manitoba Hydro is expected to take 6-8 weeks to restore power to areas east of Lake Winnipeg affected by wildfires.
The fires have damaged around 100 hydro poles near Little Grand Rapids and Pauingassi First Nation.
Hydro spokesperson Bruce Owen says it’s a time-consuming process.
“The assessments of the damage were all done by air and completed earlier this week,” Owen told 680 CJOB. “A contractor has been selected and we’re in the process now of shipping the replacement materials to a couple of staging areas near Bloodvein on the east side.”
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Owen tells 680 CJOB the terrain makes things very difficult.
“It’s the Canadian Shield, so you’ve got the rock and you have swampy areas, and the line runs through both,” Owen said. “The poles have to be set in rock and the other poles, you have to access these swampy areas to get in and do the fix.”
READ MORE: Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi First Nation residents wait to return home
It means the wait will continue for around 1,450 residents of Little Grand Rapids and Pauingassi First Nation, who have been staying in hotels across Winnipeg for more than four weeks.
The Canadian Red Cross told Global News it is setting up the hotels, setting up regular meals and providing any other necessary supports that are needed such as hygiene kits, baby formula, diapers for the evacuees.
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