Your Selkirk neighbours are praying for Peguis
Morning from the Interlake — here's what's happening in Selkirk today.
It's one of those stories that makes your stomach drop, really. The news that Peguis First Nation and Fisher River Cree Nation have both declared a state of emergency because of flood risk, and it feels like we've been here before. We're talking about communities just upriver from us, neighbours in the Interlake, and the Red River doesn't care about municipal lines when it swells. It’s hard to believe, after all these years of talk and promises from politicians in Ottawa, that Peguis is still without permanent flood protections. It's just not right, plain and simple.
### Our Shared River
When the Red River starts to rise, it impacts all of us along its banks. For folks here in Selkirk, whether you're down by Selkirk Park, watching the water levels near the Marine Museum, or just driving over the bridge on Manitoba Avenue, you feel it. Our city has its own challenges with high water, but what Peguis and Fisher River face, year after year, is on another scale entirely. It's not just about homes; it’s about a way of life, access to resources, and the constant stress of not knowing if this is the year everything washes away again.
* This isn't just a spring inconvenience; it's a recurring crisis for our neighbours.
* The lack of permanent infrastructure for flood protection is a failure of government, no two ways about it.
* The Red River connects us all, and when one part of our community suffers, we all feel the ripple effect.
This isn't some abstract news story from far away. These are our neighbours, our friends, people we see when we head north up Highway 9. Selkirk isn't a Winnipeg suburb; we have our own steel mill, our own hospital, and our own river. Respect the difference. And right now, that means respecting the struggle of Peguis and Fisher River. It means hoping for the best, but also wondering why, after all this time, promises still haven't turned into concrete action.
You want more on how this impacts our communities? Tune into the Morning Wire – the crew digs into the real stories, live at mornings.live.