'Outstanding' support for Whiteshell cottagers battling flood waters
As waters continue to rise on the already-swollen Winnipeg River system, cottagers in Whiteshell Provincial Park are sandbagging to protect properties at risk. Meanwhile, parks staff have been “absolutely outstanding” in their efforts to provide needed sandbags and other resources, said Ian Baragar of the Whiteshell Cottagers Association.
“Generally speaking, they’ve brought in a bigger sandbag machine, we have sandbag machines at various points. When they run out of bags or sand in one spot, they’ll switch to another. Locations are listed on our Whiteshell Cottagers Association website,” Baragar told CTV Morning Live on Thursday.
Baragar said most of the sandbagging efforts are along the Winnipeg River, which drains from Lake of the Woods and the vast areas of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario west of Lake Superior.
“The major concern is up along the Winnipeg River, we have a number of lakes along the river and that area, the Winnipeg River-Whiteshell rain basin has seen more water than we have seen ever since we starting making records in the 1950s,” said Baragar.
The Winnipeg River isn’t the only concern in the area. Baragar said water levels had stabilized at Falcon Lake and at West Hawk Lake. However, he called recent heavy rain in the area, “the worst thing that can happen.”
Throughout the region, reports have emerged of reduced road access to cottage country as water spills over roads. Baragar says of the 4,000 cottages in the Whiteshell, many have been spared water and ice damage because they’re on higher ground. The same can’t be said for structures on or near lakes, such as boat houses, docks and lakefront cottages.
“At this point, water is still rising and we have a lot of widespread damage. It’s a double perfect storm between damage from ice and water.”
In many areas, winds blew slowly melting lake ice toward shore where it collected into large and destructive piles.
With the long weekend coming up, Baragar said the park is open but anyone travelling to or within the area should keep a sharp eye out for water on roads and road closures. He made specific reference to what expected would be the likely closure of the road to Betula Lake and the closure of PR 312. As of Thursday morning, Manitoba 511 shows PR 312 closed due to flooding from two kilometres east of the junction of Highway 44 to the vicinity of the Ontario border.
“Travel is not recommended to there. We don’t want people trapped and if you are, you’ve got to be prepared. Be sure to check Manitoba 511 for road closures, “said Baragar.
- With files from CTV’s Nicole Dube
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.