Saskatchewan wildfire evacuees facing delays in aid, forced to sleep in cars: ombudsman
Saskatchewan ombudsman Sharon Pratchler says the province's attempts to help those fleeing the devastating wildfires in the north are falling short.
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Her office is hearing from people who are waiting days to hear back about getting food and shelter and some are being forced to sleep in their cars, Pratchler told media Tuesday morning.
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She also said aid money being given to evacuees isn't retroactive to the day they were forced out of their homes.
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'These are basic human needs and the province is responsible for providing for them without any further delay,' said Pratchler.
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She joins others who have voiced concerns this week, including evacuees and firefighters' loved ones who spoke Monday on the conditions people are experiencing and called on the province to do better with its emergency response.
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At a news conference in Saskatoon, NDP northern affairs critic Jordan McPhail said evacuees have had issues getting aid through the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's (SPSA) Emergency and Community Support (ECS) program.
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The NDP and several evacuees said the program is confusing and restrictive. Some have gone days without financial aid, while others were deemed ineligible despite being in hotels because they've been displaced.
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Opposition critics also questioned once again why the province had not yet called for military support to bolster its response.
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Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Tim McLeod said Monday the province is offering all that is available to help residents.
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'We're doing everything possible to provide the resources and the supports that those communities need. Our federal counterparts are offering what they have to give, where that aligns with our needs,' said McLeod, who is also the SPSA's chair.
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SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. 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Toronto Sun
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Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Davies said Wednesday that Parliament has not been kept in the loop on what Carney and Trump are talking about behind closed doors, or whether Ottawa has involved stakeholders in negotiations with the U.S. 'Previous Liberal governments have made quite a deal out of appointing different stakeholders from society to be present in advising them. Yet we don't know anything about that in these negotiations,' Davies told reporters outside the House of Commons just ahead of question period. 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But Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand breezed past reporters who shouted questions at them on Wednesday, while LeBlanc was not seen in Parliament. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly confirmed the secret, top-level discussions last week, saying that Carney and Trump are in 'deep discussions' on trade and working 'around the clock to get a deal. 'They're right at the brink,' Ford said in Toronto on June 5. Pete Hoekstra, Trump's ambassador to Canada, said in an armchair talk at the Canadian Club of Ottawa on Wednesday that he thinks there's a 'possibility to have a great deal.' He said that 'all indications' are that the two countries could reach a 'very positive agreement,' but couched that 'there's also the possibility you could end up with something like no deal or whatever. 'Until a deal is announced, you really won't know what's it in it,' Hoekstra said. Trump has insisted that Canada could join his unbuilt Golden Dome continental missile defence program at a cost of $61 billion. Carney confirmed last month that he is in talks with Trump about the project. 'It's something that we are looking at and something that has been discussed at a high level,' Carney said at a press conference in Ottawa on May 21. Celebrity NHL Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs Music
