Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has expanded the province’s disaster financial assistance program to cover residents affected by widespread storms and flooding across Manitoba, as he continued visiting impacted communities, including Stonewall.
Originally, financial support had been announced for western Manitoba, where several rural communities declared states of emergency after rivers overflowed and floodwaters entered homes and businesses. The program now extends to all Manitoba residents impacted by this week’s extreme weather.
Stonewall, a town of roughly 5,000 residents north of Winnipeg, was among the hardest hit areas, recording 255 millimetres of rain in a single night. The storm led to basement flooding, infrastructure damage, and local restrictions, including limits on non-essential water use. Quarry Park and the local cemetery were also closed due to overland flooding.
Premier Kinew said the financial support is intended to help residents recover, while stressing that insurance claims should be the first step.
“No one in rural Manitoba is going to be left behind. Your provincial government is going make sure that there are the resources to help you clean up, to rebuild and to recover from these terrible storms that we’ve been seeing recently,” he told reporters during his visit.
The province has not yet disclosed the total compensation budget, saying figures will become clearer as cleanup operations continue.
Across Manitoba, several municipalities are now focused on recovery after intense rainfall brought flooding, large hail, and widespread power outages. Some areas also experienced hailstones the size of tennis balls.
Manitoba Hydro reported that most outages were expected to be restored by the end of Thursday, although around 1,400 customers in Winnipeg were still without electricity. The utility noted that some outages have been prolonged due to downed power lines and difficult access conditions for repair crews.
“Some customers have been without power for an extended period of time, and the utility recognizes the difficulty this causes customers. Multiple crews are prioritizing these outages, which include power lines down in several locations, and damage in areas that is difficult to reach with heavy equipment,” Manitoba Hydro said.
The utility is also monitoring overland flooding near the Dorsey Converter Station in the Rural Municipality of Rosser, northwest of Winnipeg. Due to flooded roads and access challenges, non-essential staff have been relocated to other sites as a precaution.
Despite the situation, Manitoba Hydro confirmed the facility — which transmits more than 70% of the province’s electricity — remains fully operational, with no disruption to customer service.
Flood conditions have also forced the closure of several highways, including Highway 221 near Dorsey, as authorities attempt to manage water pressure in rural areas. In some locations, roads have buckled under the intensity of flooding.
