Gunfire Damage Found on Power Line Near Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Cause Unclear

Shotgun pellet damage was found on aerial marker balls attached to a power line in northern Manitoba, although Manitoba Hydro doesn't know if gunfire caused a line break that resulted in a days-long power outage, evacuations and deployment of the Canadian military. About 4,000 people were evacuated from Pimicikamak Cree Nation after a power line servicing the community snapped in late December. Many residents were left without heat in temperatures that dropped well below –20 C. During a recent inspection, aerial marker balls attached to the power lines that cross the Nelson River were found with shotgun pellet damage, Manitoba Hydro said in a news release Monday. A preliminary examination of the snapped wire also found shotgun pellet damage to the power line itself, the Crown corporation says. It's still unclear whether the shotgun pellets were behind the power line break and subsequent outage, but Manitoba Hydro is urging the public not to shoot at their infrastructure, which includes hunters who may hunt birds near power lines, substations or other equipment. Hydro's claim 'premature': Chief Pimikamak Chief David Monias called Hydro's claim about the shotgun pellet damage "premature" in a Monday statement, saying the cause of power outage must be determined through close, physical examination of the damaged power line. The outage took place on an old, outdated transmission line from Jenpeg to Cross Lake, he said. "Aging infrastructure fails, and this line has been vulnerable for years," Monias wrote. "What is clear is that decades of underinvestment in northern and First Nations infrastructure continue to put our people at risk, and this outage is another consequence of that reality." Monias called for the transmission line to be moved to the highway near the community so it can provide reliable, accessible power year-round and prevent the First Nation from declaring another state of emergency in the future. Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura agreed that it would be premature to conclude that the power outage was caused by the gunfire damage. Chura said the Crown corporation only wanted to remind Manitobans to be careful with firearms near their equipment and not to shoot at their infrastructure. A detailed investigation of the downed power line is underway, and Hydro hasn't reached any conclusions about the cause of the outage, said Chura. Gunfire damage to other transmission lines was detected with a high-resolution camera on a drone, he said.