Manitoba plays the waiting game to get wildfire evacuees into hotels: Kinew – Winnipeg [Video]

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the province is playing the waiting game as it looks to get thousands of wildfire evacuees into hotels.

Kinew told reporters Friday that more than 18,000 people are already in hotels or are staying with family, but many remain in congregate shelters.

He said getting those evacuees into private accommodations is tricky because many hotel rooms are being reserved for people with “intense” medical issues.

“We just have to do a balancing act,” Kinew said. “At this point, the big-picture challenge around rooms has largely been addressed.

“It’s now just about the daily balancing act of triaging people coming in and people who are already in shelters and matching them up with rooms.”

Kinew said fires in northern Manitoba near the city of Flin Flon have merged into a single massive blaze that is more than 3,000 square kilometres. There are 27 active fires in …