The Rural Municipality of Gimli, Manitoba, can once again take bill payments at its municipal office, roughly one month after a cyberattack forced services offline, the municipality said May 25, 2026.
The ransomware group Payload claimed responsibility for the attack on about April 27-28, 2026, saying it encrypted municipal systems and took 69 GB of data. The RM confirmed the attack at the time, hired a cybersecurity firm to investigate, and told residents to pay bills at banks because its office could not process them. A council meeting set for April 29 was cancelled on short notice.
The May 25 update means residents can again pay tax and utility bills in person. The RM is also waiving interest and penalties on late accounts caused by the disruption, according to a news release. “There will be no interest on late bill payments as a result of the cyber attack, with no penalties for affected tax or utility accounts as well,” the release said.
The RM has not said whether any ransom was paid or confirmed what data may have been exposed. Winnipeg cybersecurity expert Marc Perreault told a local news outlet that smaller municipalities like Gimli are often “fairly easy targets” because they have fewer technology staff watching systems.
Anyone affected by the incident can visit the RM of Gimli website for information.
