'That's not a meal': frustration and concerns raised over food given to Manitoba wildfire evacuees
Disappointment and frustration from First Nations evacuees in Winnipeg have prompted a man in the city to hit the kitchen and start cooking traditional meals for evacuees.
Around 3,000 people from four First Nations in Manitoba (Little Grand Rapids, Pauingasssi, Bloodvein and Berens River) have been evacuated and are staying in hotels in Winnipeg and Brandon.
The Canadian Red Cross told CTV News that it ensures evacuees are provided three meals a day at each hotel.
"Meals are provided by either the hotels themselves or caterers and that is coordinated by the Red Cross. Plus, the Red Cross has snacks available for evacuees at our reception centre," Jason Small, a spokesperson for the Canadian Red Cross, told CTV News in an email.
But evacuees are raising concerns about the food, which some say fail to meet standards.
Beans and a hotdog is one of several dishes that evacuees tell CTV News they have been given during their stays.
"It is kind of disgusting because that's not a meal. There is nothing really healthy about it," said Keith Proulx. "It was so maddening to see that is what they are expecting people to eat."
Small said the Canadian Red Cross has received complaints about the food from some of the evacuees.
"The Red Cross speaks regularly to community leadership, who will bring concerns from their members to us. Evacuated individuals will also directly inform our team of problems with the support we are providing, including meals," he said.
"We are always working to better the support we provide, so if there is a problem we hear about, we will work quickly to remedy the situation."
But some people aren't waiting around for the Red Cross.
After being approached by some CFS agencies, Proulx has been baking and cooking food for elders and evacuees stuck in Winnipeg hotels.
On Friday, he handed out around 150 bowls of soup, around 400 pieces of bannock and water to evacuees. He said the soup and bannock is not only nutritious and filling – for many people who are used to more traditional diets – it is comfort food.
"A lot of elders, they're not used to this city food and take out, and they don't like it," Proulx told CTV News.
"You're stuck here – you're stuck and you want a little piece of home."
He said the food has been welcomed by elders and evacuees.
"I'm from the north – I know how to make a good pot of soup and some bannock."
He said there has been a lot of comments and frustration on social media about the food being given to evacuees. He urged people to get involved and help out.
"I wish there was more people to help," he said. "All these hotels are full of people and they need some comfort. They need to be shown that there is people that care."
Keith said he plans to keep on cooking and baking for the evacuees.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.