Matawa Chiefs urge Canada, Ontario to act as Nibinamik First Nation emergency continues after winter power outage – NetNewsLedger
February 26, 2026
Power returned Tuesday, but leaders warn the remote community remains at risk without reliable backup and long-term infrastructure fixes.
THUNDER BAY — The Matawa Chiefs Council is calling on the federal and Ontario governments to respond to Nibinamik First Nation’s state of emergency, declared Friday, February 20, 2026, as the community moves into Day 6 of a winter power outage crisis.
Nibinamik was without electricity for five days. While power was restored late Tuesday afternoon, the Chiefs Council says the situation remains fragile because the community’s diesel generating system is already operating at full capacity and lacks backup if another failure occurs. Initial recovery efforts, they add, are only beginning.
