Pimicikamak Cree Nation is proposing a class action lawsuit against Manitoba Hydro, the province of Manitoba and Canada following damages and continued evacuation caused by a 110-hour power outage that occurred almost seven months ago. According to the statement of claim filed in the Manitoba Court of Kings Bench on July 28, the community is asking for compensation for damages to infrastructure and community livelihood, as well as preventative measures so that an outage of this nature never happens again. “We can’t even trust them, can’t even believe them,” said Chief David Monias, at a news conference held to announce the lawsuit on Wednesday. “Because of the negligence of Canada and Manitoba Hydro, to maintain that line… we the people are suffering the consequences of that negligence,” he said. “We are seeking justice for our people, for the people we lost — people have died, people have gotten sick — for the people who are suffering.” The statement of claim was filed by Monias, on behalf of the band members of Pimicikamak. The Nation, also known as Cross Lake, is located approximately 520 kilometres north of Winnipeg. It’s home to over 8,000 members and has only one power line. On Dec. 28, 2025, a conductor failed and was not restored until Jan. 2. Because of temperatures which can dip as low as -40 degrees celsius that time of year, pipelines and utilities froze and burst, rendering many homes unlivable and resulting in around 4,000 people being evacuated from the community, Monias said. In the months to follow, many houses began to grow mould, Monias added, and more than 30 will need to be replaced. Repairs are underway and are being supported by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), he said, with whom he is in contact on a weekly basis. As of July 2026, approximately 650 members remain out of their homes due to unsafe living conditions. Statement of claim alleges ‘lack of planning,’ mistakes The statement of claim alleges that Manitoba Hydro did not “exercise reasonable care in the installation, inspection, maintenance, operation, contingency planning, and emergency response for the electrical infrastructure serving the plaintiffs,” and that the Crown corporation did not provide the proper emergency backup planning to avoid the outage’s “foreseeable and avoidable harm.” The claim calls upon Hydro to build a second power line for the community, which would give it access to emergency power in the case of another outage, under direction of the province. As well, it asks that Canada approve and fund water-treatment and backup power infrastructure. “The defendant knew, or ought to have known, that a prolonged winter power outage on the Reserve would not be a mere inconvenience,” the claim states. “It would create a public housing, water, sewage, safety and evacuation emergency.” It alleges that Monias and council had been advocating for a second line and warning Hydro about potential risks, such as winter repair and a lack of emergency power, since 2018. Leadership also advised, weeks before the outage, that repair would be difficult due to it being a remote, northern community with a large amount of snow and ice, and asked that it be inspected before complete failure took place. The lawsuit also calls attention to alleged issues which occurred while the line was being repaired. “The line failed late at night … so Hydro could not begin inspecting the line until daylight,” explained Jeremy McKay, Pimicikamak’s lawyer. “Hydro did not have any plans for repairing this type of conductor at this location.” He said the repair site was difficult to access, and crews were originally directed to the wrong location, which Hydro allegedly described as a “human mistake.” “After the power was repaired … our lawsuit alleges that too much power was turned on at once, causing another interruption and further delaying the full restoration,” McKay continued. “Hydro later suggested publicly that shotgun pellets may have been connected to the outage, even though Hydro admits that the wire failed inside a marker ball that had no pellet damage. Hydro has completed a root cause report, but has not provided a full report for Cross Lake. “This is not only a broken line. The lack of planning and mistakes during the response made a serious emergency even worse,” McKay said. Leadership representing Pimicikamak Cree Nation announced the proposed class action lawsuit with a news conference at Trippier Law in Winnipeg Wednesday. Photo: Emma Honeybun/APTN News. Damages range from sewage repair to emotional turmoil, according to claim As a result of the outage, prolonged by the factors listed above, the statement of claim alleges that members of Pimicikamak have suffered damages including: • Emergency crisis and crisis management costs; • Evacuation, transportation, accommodation and food costs; • Costs of temporary shelters, heaters, generators, fuel, water and sanitation measures; • Damage to water treatment, sewage treatment, public works, community, housing and emergency infrastructure; • Repair, remediation, demolition and reconstruction costs; • Mould, microbial, asbestos, sewage, water and environmental assessment costs; • Professional engineering, legal, project management and consulting costs; • Administrative governance costs; • And the cost of assessing homes and infrastructure. Evacuees also lost “household contents, food, clothing, furniture, appliances, electronics, vehicles, and personal property,” according to the lawsuit, as well as employment, childcare, laundry, and community facilities. They were also unable to attend funerals and important medical appointments, Monias said, which was especially damaging for displaced Elders. As well, the lawsuit alleges that because the power outage also affected the Cross Lake Water Treatment Plant, sewage was ejected into Cross Lake (the lake the Nation is named after), and has caused further damage to the health of the community. It states that this has interfered with drinking water, fish and other wildlife, and has “jeopardized the long-term viability of the area.” However, the extent of this damage is not yet known. Special damages with respect to trauma will also be discussed. Monias said the morale among members has been low, but that they are “resilient.” “We are survivors,” he said. “Our people are there for each other, and I think community unity is what keeps our people going. The love for each other, the care for each other, the unity.” Manitoba Hydro said it will file a statement of defence. “We understand the challenges power outages — especially extended ones — can have on all our customers,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to APTN News. “However, a loss of electricity is always a possibility, and we always make every effort to safely restore power as quickly as possible.” The proposed lawsuit is yet to be approved by a judge and the allegations have not been proven in court. Continue Reading
Pimicikamak Cree Nation proposes class action against Manitoba Hydro, Canada for power outage damages
