Power has finally been fully restored to a northern Manitoba First Nation after an outage that lasted nearly a week, prompting its leader to call for an immediate assessment of the damage sustained by homes during the prolonged disruption.
A Week in the Dark: The Outage's Timeline and Impact
The community of Cross Lake, also known as Pimicikamak Cree Nation, was plunged into darkness by a power failure that began on Sunday, December 28, 2025. Manitoba Hydro crews worked through the New Year's period to repair a critical power line. The utility confirmed that full power was restored on Sunday, January 4, 2026, ending a difficult and potentially dangerous situation for residents during a cold Manitoba winter.
An aerial photograph of the repaired line was released by Manitoba Hydro on January 1, 2026, showing the scale of the work required. The near weeklong loss of electricity affected heating, lighting, food storage, and communication for the remote community.
Chief Calls for Home Damage Surveys
In the aftermath of the restoration, the community's chief is now turning attention to the fallout. The prolonged outage likely caused significant issues within homes, particularly with water pipes freezing and bursting in the sub-zero temperatures, as well as spoilage of food and medicines.
The chief is advocating for a formal survey to document the extent of the damage to residential properties. This assessment is seen as a crucial first step in understanding the full cost of the outage and in seeking potential support or recourse for affected families. The call highlights the broader vulnerabilities of infrastructure in remote and Indigenous communities.
Broader Context of Infrastructure and Resilience
This incident in Cross Lake underscores ongoing concerns about the reliability of essential services in Canada's northern and Indigenous communities. Extended power outages pose severe risks to health, safety, and property, especially during extreme winter conditions.
The situation also brings into focus the work of utility crews who respond to these emergencies, often in challenging weather and geographic conditions. As power returns, the community's leadership is now focused on recovery and ensuring that the lasting impacts on homes and residents are properly addressed and mitigated against future failures.
