The provincial government announced Feb. 20 that it will make 7,500 litres of fuel available to Sayisi Dene First Nation for emergency home-heating needs.
Sayisi Dene First Nation Chief told CTV News Feb. 19 that the First Nation desperately needed fuel to heat more than 100 homes and councillor Clifford Anderson said three homes had already run out of fuel and were relying on woodstoves for heat.
"Manitoba winters can be unpredictable and the demand for heating fuel can be a challenge to accurately predict," said Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler in a press release. "We were made aware of the situation on Monday and quickly approved this temporary measure to get the community through this time. The completion of the winter road will allow proper resupply of fuel and many other essentials."
Construction of the winter road to Tadoule Lake, one of 23 Manitoba communities without year-round road access, was delayed by cold weather and excessive snow and is now expected to open between Feb. 26 and Feb. 28, the minister said. The diesel fuel comes from the provincially operated Tadoule Lake airport.
A Manitoba Hydro spokesperson told CTV on Monday that fuel it stores in the community to run diesel-powered generators to produce electricity could also be available by the following day.
