The Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba building is shown in downtown Winnipeg, Monday, April 29, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Daniel Crump)
WINNIPEG — A joint education session for the Manitoba and Saskatchewan Courts of King’s Bench, scheduled to take place in Winnipeg this week, has been cancelled due to ongoing wildfires in both provinces.
Chief Justice Glenn Joyal of Manitoba and Chief Justice Martel Popescul of Saskatchewan said on Sunday that the decision was made in the public interest, as hotel rooms are urgently needed for evacuees fleeing the fires.
In a statement, the courts acknowledged the severity of the wildfire situation and said the move supports broader efforts to assist affected communities.
There are currently more than 17,000 people evacuated as a result of the ongoing wildfires in northern Manitoba.
Officials in Flin Flon, Man., say the fire burning near the mining city has been contained to outside it’s perimeter highway, and that as of Saturday evening there have been no structure losses.
The province has issued an evacuation order for Bakers Narrows Provincial Park, just south of Flin Flon, due to the blaze in the area.
— With files from The Canadian Press
