As the provincial government prepares to release the 2026 budget on March 24, 2026, a group representing northern communities is asking for more money to help with high costs and poor road access in St. Theresa Point, Manitoba.
The group, known as Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, represents 26 First Nations and more than 72,000 people. They are asking the province for help to pay for record-high costs of gasoline, diesel, and heating fuel which make basic supplies like food very expensive in the north.
Local leaders are also calling for the government to build permanent roads to replace the ice roads that residents currently use to bring in supplies. St. Theresa Point, led by Chief Marie A. Wood, is located 650 kilometres away from Winnipeg and usually has no year-round road access, making it difficult for the community to get what it needs.
The request also includes better plans for emergencies after wildfires in 2025 forced 17,000 residents to leave their communities. Additionally, Grand Chief Garrison Settee and the health group Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin are asking for safer places for patients to stay when they travel to Winnipeg for medical appointments.
