RCMP say no arrests have been made nearly a year after a remote northern Manitoba lodge was damaged during an incident connected to the alleged illegal harvesting of caribou near Nueltin Lake.
“The matter is still under investigation as officers attempt to identify those who may be responsible for the damage to the property,” RCMP spokesperson Paul Manaigre said in an email.
“No arrests have been made at this time.”
A spokesperson for Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Minister Ian Bushie said the province could not comment further because of the active investigation.
“While we are unable to comment on the details of an active RCMP investigation, I can confirm that the investigation is well underway,” the spokesperson said.
The update comes nearly a year after Thompson Rural RCMP said they were investigating a break and enter at a privately owned fly-in lodge near Nueltin Lake, about 30 kilometres south of the Manitoba-Nunavut border.
RCMP said at the time the owner reported numerous cottages had been entered and damaged, and that suspects appeared to have camped on the property over the winter while hunting caribou.
Police said officers from Thompson, including RCMP forensic identification services, and Manitoba Conservation officers flew to the lodge on April 18, 2025, to examine the scene.
RCMP said they were investigating the break-in and property damage, while the Manitoba Conservation Officer Service was investigating the harvesting of caribou.
The incident drew attention in the Manitoba legislature on May 13, 2025, when Swan River MLA Rick Wowchuk asked the province what it was doing about what he called the “lawless slaughter” of the Qamanirjuaq caribou herd in Nueltin Lake Provincial Park.
Wowchuk said unborn calves were left in the snow and pregnant caribou were killed. He also quoted the lodge owner saying snowmobiles had been chasing caribou across the lake and “piles of dead animals” were left behind.
Justice Minister Matt Wiebe told the legislature at the time there was an ongoing investigation involving RCMP and provincial conservation officers.
Bushie also previously condemned the incident.
“I am deeply concerned by these reports of unethical hunting practices and wastage. We want to ensure that caribou can continue to be harvested for generations to come… it is critical that we hold the people involved to account,” Bushie said.
Premier Wab Kinew also condemned the killing during question period.
“Anybody who participated in this has no respect for animals, has no right to be able to hunt in this province and will be pursued and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Kinew said.
Chris Heald, who was involved in documenting the aftermath at the lodge, said he believes about 80 animals were killed.
“It was gross,” Heald said in an interview. “They took some meat, but most of the quarters were still left there.”
Heald said the lodge was also extensively damaged and looted.
“They stole all the tools. They absolutely destroyed it,” he said.
Heald said the lack of arrests nearly a year later is frustrating, given the public commitment made by the premier.
“That’s a year ago that this destruction happened,” he said. “Where’s the update?”
By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on May 14, 2026 at 14:52
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