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![\"Chief](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4048848_web1_260311-Monias-CanadInns-00130.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChief David Monias, pictured addressing the media earlier this year. Pimicikamak Cree Nation is pursuing a class action lawsuit against Manitoba Hydro, the province and the federal government following a lengthy power outage in the community this past winter. (Mikaela MacKenzie \/ Free Press)<\/p>\n
The power outage left more than 4,000 of the community\u2019s roughly 8,000 residents without electricity and forced them from their homes. Power was not restored until the afternoon of Jan. 2 this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is both governments and Manitoba Hydro who put the citizens of the Cross Lake Band of Indians in the precarious position to be left without power in the dead of winter,\u201d Monias said in a statement. \u201cThey knew, or ought to have known, that it was just a matter of time before a system failure would endanger the lives of citizens in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The single Manitoba Hydro line that supplies electricity to the remote community, about 250 kilometres from Thompson, goes across rough terrain directly from the Jenpeg generation station. The line runs over muskeg and rivers and is difficult for the Crown corporation to service.<\/p>\n
The claim alleges that Hydro and the provincial and federal governments were aware the community\u2019s power supply was vulnerable, but failed to act on years of warnings and requests for electrical redundancy, and failed to prepare the community adequately for a prolonged power outage in the winter and the emergency it could cause.<\/p>\n
The outage caused extensive damage to homes, the community\u2019s water and sewage systems and plants, infrastructure and community facilities, the court papers say.<\/p>\n
Some homes were left uninhabitable.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit says about 650 band members remain evacuated.<\/p>\n
An electrical conductor inside of a marker ball failed on the line at a crossing over Nelson River, about 10 kilometres from the reserve, the lawsuit says. The claim alleges Hydro\u2019s negligence was the cause of the failure.<\/p>\n
The claim accuses Hydro of making errors that delayed restoration efforts, including sending crews to the wrong location and re-energizing too much at a time.<\/p>\n
The claim says community leaders have, since 2018, repeatedly raised concerns with the province and Hydro about the power line\u2019s vulnerability, requested backup power generators and a secondary backup power line to be built along Highways 373 and 374 to the community, which would be easier to service, to no avail.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t About 7,000 people live in Pimicikamak, located about 750 kilometres north of Winnipeg.<\/p>\n The lawsuit also takes aim at a news release from Manitoba Hydro in January about shotgun pellet damage to marker balls and the power line.<\/p>\n The claim says Hydro knew at the time of the release that the marker ball where the conductor failed had not been damaged by shotgun pellets.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t The lawsuit accuses Hydro of misleading the public and the press, implying Cross Lake community members caused the line\u2019s failure when the corporation knew it was the result of an installation error.<\/p>\n The court filing claims Hydro has refused to provide its full report and investigation materials on the power outage to the community, citing litigation risk.<\/p>\n The suit seeks monetary restitution for damages, and the immediate installation of a secondary power line or sufficient system for electrical backup in emergencies.<\/p>\n Hydro and the governments have yet to reply to the claim in court.<\/p>\n erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Erik Pindera Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020.\u00a0 Read more about Erik<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Erik produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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