On May 16, 1986, the Northern Ontario community of Winisk was flooded during an ice jam. The ice jam on the Winisk River caused large chunks of ice and flood waters to overwhelm the village. Two people were killed and all but two of more than 60 buildings in the community were destroyed.
During Treaty negotiations, Indigenous leaders warned the federal government that the area chosen for the Weenusk First Nation was prone to flooding but their warnings were dismissed. The federal and provincial governments had planned to relocate the community by 1989, after first constructing an airstrip.
Chief George Hunter and the band council had undertaken studies to determine what it would cost to move the community to higher ground, but funding was not approved for the move until weeks before the flood.