Winnipeg River expected to crest next month
The Winnipeg River is expected to crest in early June, according to the Manitoba government.
In the province’s flood bulletin released on Saturday, it said the river is still experiencing high flows and water levels due to “significant volumes of water upstream in Ontario from Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul.”
The Winnipeg River’s water levels are expected to remain above normal for several weeks after it crests next month.
The Manitoba government noted that a flood warning is still in effect for this river, as well as the Whiteshell Lakes area. Property owners in these areas should continue to take the necessary precautions.
The province advises against travelling into the Whiteshell Provincial Park area, as many highways are flooded and travel is “treacherous.”
Manitoba Parks has ordered the evacuation of Whiteshell Provincial Park’s Betula Lake area. This includes cottage subdivisions; commercial, group-use, day-use, recreational and picnic areas; playgrounds; trails; and beaches. A full list of restricted lakes and boat launch, campground and travel closures can be found online.
As of Saturday, 42 states of local emergency have been declared in Manitoba. The Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization is working with local authorities and emergency management partners to help communities respond and recover.
Manitoba Hydro is also asking people to be careful on and around rivers and lakes, especially near generating stations.
A complete list of flood warnings, watches and high water advisories in Manitoba can be found online.
DAMAGE IN THE WHITESHELL
As some parts of Whiteshell Provincial Park are evacuated, others are now seeing the water level off.
At West Hawk Lake, docks litter the main boat launch as residents and cottagers can now survey the damage.
Jaime Lynn Sopka was spending the weekend in the area at her parents’ cabin.
Two weeks ago, she received a call from the contractor who built her dock, saying she needed to put sandbags on it to protect it.
She initially put 30 on the dock, but had to put 100 more after the water started to damage it.
"It had kind of caved, so when I called him, he said you need a hundred more. So I added a hundred with some great friends last weekend," she said.
Sopka said the situation has been tense, but she is thankful she isn't dealing with more damage.
"It's been stressful for everyone, I think, but there are people way worse off than we are," she said. "People have lost whole boathouses, docks, and in some parts of the Whiteshell, their cabins."
The damage even extends beyond personal properties in the area.
Local business owner Shaun Harbottle noticed the sea wall across from his store was starting to fall.
"It's unfortunate," said Harbottle, the owner of Crescent Beach Cottages & Motel. "The wave action actually dug out of the sea wall, and then the wall started to list, so I think there is an eight-inch gap there now, so it is falling."
The sea wall is now barricaded with tape so people can't go near it. Below it, where a beach used to be, it's all water.
Harbottle said he's never seen the lake as high as it right now, noting he's lived in the area his entire life.
"We've seen everything from fridges to whole docks to ladders. So it is dangerous, but cottage owners need to be here,” he said. “They need to secure their boats and get their stuff figured out."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.