Our province has announced the closure of Whiteshell Provincial Park. The move will happen Thursday due to extreme fire conditions in eastern Manitoba and out of an abundance of caution to help ensure the safety of Manitoba.
It says all access to Whiteshell Provincial Park will be restricted beginning at 9 am. This includes all public and private developed areas in Whiteshell Provincial Park including cottage subdivisions, commercial areas, campgrounds, group use, day use, and all recreational areas including trails, beaches, backcountry areas, canoe routes, and campsites.
All park users, including full-time residents, commercial operators, and cottagers, along with campers at various provincial park campgrounds, must leave the park by Thursday at 1 pm.
Full-time residents are asked to register in person with Manitoba Parks staff beginning Thursday at 9 am at their nearest reception centre:
- Whiteshell Community Club, Provincial Road (PR) 301 in Falcon Lake
- Rennie Community Club, Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 44 in Rennie
- Eastman Snopals Garage (junction of PR 307 and Waterline Road)
Permanent residents who are unable to register in person are asked to call 204-340-6769. Only full-time residents must register. Cottagers and campers do not have to check-in.
The closure of Whiteshell Provincial Park will remain in effect until conditions improve.
All campgrounds in Whiteshell Provincial Park will remain closed until at least Wednesday, May 21. The Parks Reservation Service will contact all affected reservation holders.
Additionally, closures remain in place for Nopiming, Pinawa Dam, Poplar Bay, Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River provincial parks due to a state of local emergency. These parks will remain closed to the public until conditions improve.
The following areas are affected by an evacuation order in Nopiming Provincial Park:
- Bird, Booster, Davidson, and Flanders lakes in south Nopiming - cottagers, commercial resort and lodge operators, backcountry users, and campers;
- Long and Beresford lakes in north Nopiming - cottagers, commercial resort and lodge operators, backcountry users, and campers; and
- Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River - cottagers, residents, commercial resort and lodge operators, backcountry users, and campers.
All public and private developed areas in Nopiming, Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River provincial parks including cottage subdivisions, commercial areas, campgrounds, group use, day use, and all recreational areas including trails, beaches, backcountry canoe routes and campsites are closed to the public.