‘We’re totally overlooked’: Northwestern Ontario fishing resorts hit hard by flooding
Vacation resort owners near Minaki, Ont., are drowning, both literally and financially, after flooding has left them operating below capacity or unable to open at all, and they feel helpless to do anything about it.
“We’re totally overlooked because of our location,” said Phil Reid, executive director of Reid’s Birch Island Resort. “We resort owners are pretty self-sufficient and don’t like asking for handouts, but we need help, now.”
Reid’s resort, a nearly three-hour drive from Winnipeg on Gunn Lake, is still partly underwater after massive spring flooding that saw nearby Kenora, Ont., evacuated in May. Heavy rains combined with a larger-than-usual snow thaw caused the Lake of the Woods and Winnipeg River systems to run at almost the highest levels on record.
Reid's Birch Island Resort before the flooding (top) and after (bottom). (Source: Phil Reid)“The water is up eight or nine feet from last year,” said Reid. “And there is no resort insurance for us, so the damage is all a loss.”
Eric Brown owns three fishing resorts on Lake of the Woods. Unlike Reid, he is currently open to guests, but is operating at about 75 per cent capacity.
He says the financial hit has still been significant, especially after the pandemic.
“The last two years have been awful, and to have this happen now is very difficult to take,” he said. “All of our docks have floated away, the damage is extensive.”
Brown says there is a federal financial assistance program in place, but the application process is not easy, and the deadline for this season has already passed.
“It’s just so cumbersome,” he said. “There are so many details, and I just don’t have the time.”
The resorts are located in the Unorganized Kenora District in Northwestern Ontario, and therefore do not have an MP, MLA, or any local government.
Brown says he has reached out to the office of the Kenora member of parliament, but was told there is nothing they can do.
CTV News Winnipeg has also reached out to the Kenora MP for comment, but have not heard back.
In the meantime, all Reid can do is wait for the water to go down and hope for no rain.
“We’re hoping to be open by August,” he said. "That's the frustrating part, not being able to do anything."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.