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WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the provincewide state of emergency has been lifted as the danger from wildfires recedes.
He announced Monday that while the emergency rules are no longer needed, crews remain vigilant as fires rage.
His government also says pressure remains on hotel room space for evacuees as Manitoba deals with one of its worst fire seasons in years.
States of emergency allow for law changes and freedom restrictions so that various levels of government can work quickly and work together to respond to disaster situations.
Kinew told a news conference that emergency powers should be invoked and renewed only when absolutely necessary.
He said Manitobans need only look to the United States to see what happens when such powers are used recklessly.
“We’ve all seen (U.S. President) Donald Trump put tariffs on us because of states of emergency that he’s declared (despite the fact) that there’s no emergency there,” Kinew said.
“So for us, we want to keep reasonable government in mind as one of our principles here, which means having a light touch with something like emergency powers.”
Officials said about 9,000 of the 21,000 people forced out by the fires have been allowed to return.
More are expected to go home in the days to come, particularly in Flin Flon. About 6,000 people in and around the northwestern city have been out for weeks as crews battle a nearby fire, but they are on track to return Wednesday.
The province said 23 fires are burning, and seven of them are out of control.
The fires have put a great strain on resources over the last month, with a maximum 15,000 hotel rooms in the entire province.
Congregate shelters were set up at a number of locations, and government officials urged tourists and visitors to rethink trips to Manitoba.
Asked if tourists can now visit, Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said, “Our need for hotel rooms has stabilized.”
“We still have hundreds and hundreds of people in hotel rooms, but we also have additional hotel rooms that the province is holding in case of future evacuees,” she said.
“We are saying, ‘Yes, you can travel to Manitoba, but at the same time, stay cautious.’”
Naylor noted some evacuees who have been cleared to return have not been able to do so because of health needs or because it’s not safe for them to return to areas with heavy smoke.
Some residents continue to stay in congregate shelters, but the province is working to get them into hotel rooms.
In Saskatchewan, there are 19 wildfires burning.
Steve Roberts, from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, said favourable weather has helped fire crews. The blaze threatening the tourist village of Candle Lake, northeast of Saskatoon, is halfway contained.
Healthy residents of Creighton, Sask., were allowed to start returning over the weekend, but those with medical needs have been told to stay back. Roberts said the agency is supporting 46 people with health concerns.
Saskatchewan also has been battling one of its worst fire seasons in recent memory. At one point, more than 10,000 people were out of their homes.
The province remains under a state of emergency.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2025.
Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
