Métis Nation-Saskatchewan declares wildfire state of emergency
But with areas like Beauval and Île-à-la-Crosse under escalating threat, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan has made the call to issue a state of emergency for several northern communities.
'Traditional territories are being impacted greatly, from harvesting and sustenance use and traditional medicines and so on,' said Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Self-Government and Self-Determination Minister Brennan Merasty.
'It is our constitution in Section 35 rights that are being tackled and we need to address these immediately.'
Merasty said the goal of the declaration is to trigger conversations with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) and the provincial government. He added traditional land use needs to be considered of value to decision makers when developing policy, and hopes the Métis Nation can be a part of the discussion.
Story continues below advertisement
'How does the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan get to come in to be in this space to contribute and provide other solutions based off our traditional land users, traditional knowledge and, of course, our community relationships?' Merasty said.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The opposition NDP continues to be critical of the province's response to these wildfires. Some communities have had to plan to head as far south as Swift Current or even out of the province, an issue pressed by Athabasca MLA Leroy Laliberte.
'If there was a plan in place and if this government would have supported the local initiatives that were being brought forward, I don't think we would've been in scramble mode,' said Laliberte.
In a statement, the provincial government said, 'Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC), like the SPSA, attempts to locate evacuees to the nearest communities where accommodations such as hotels are available. Unfortunately, hotels rooms may be sold-out in these communities, requiring evacuees to be located to other communities further away. Notably, Saskatchewan has accommodated evacuees from its neighbouring provinces in the past, including Manitoba this wildfire season.
'We understand the challenges faced by evacuees and organizations like MLTC facilitating these evacuation efforts and commend them for their ongoing work.
'The continuing hyper-politicization of these devastating wildfires by the NDP is disappointing, but not surprising.'
For Métis Nation-Saskatchewan, the stress of uncertainty is making these matters urgent, and that by declaring a state of emergency, talks can be pushed forward.
Story continues below advertisement
'We hope to trigger the conversation with the province and see how we can work at this collaboratively and bring our knowledge and expertise to the table and make these actions a reality,' Merasty said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
6 hours ago
- Global News
Kinew accuses group of Republicans of pitching ‘timber tantrum' over wildfire smoke
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew accused a group of Republicans of throwing a 'timber tantrum' and playing 'political games' after they called out Canada over wildfires sending smoke billowing across the international border into their states. 'These are attention-seekers who can't come up with a good idea on health care or on making life more affordable,' Kinew told The Canadian Press. 'So they're playing games with something that's very serious.' Kinew said he doesn't 'generalize these attention-seekers' misguided words to all Americans.' He noted that American firefighters have been helping to fight Canada's wildfires and Canadian firefighters were on the ground and in the air during California's devastating wildfire season. 'I've thanked them and I thanked folks in the Trump administration who sent some of the federal firefighting resources up to Canada and to Manitoba,' the premier said. 'So we're going to have a continued relationship and an ability to support each other through wildfires going forward.' Story continues below advertisement In a Wednesday news release, Wisconsin state Rep. Calvin Callahan joined other Republican state lawmakers from Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota in filing a formal complaint against Canada to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and the International Joint Commission, a binational organization that resolves disputes on shared water and air quality. The Republican lawmakers called for an investigation of Canada's wildfire management practices and for potential remedies under international law. 'If Canada can't get these wildfires under control, they need to face real consequences,' Callahan said in the news release. 'We won't sit back while our air becomes a health hazard.' Callahan joins a chorus of Republican politicians at other levels of government who have been voicing concerns about Canada's wildfires. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Michigan Rep. Jack Bergman sent a letter to Canadian Sen. Michael MacDonald on Monday calling for stronger forest management policies and more accountability from Canadian officials. Both are members of the Canada—United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. Michigan Rep. John James sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney last week saying his constituents are choking on toxic wildfire smoke. Citing a letter other Republican members of Congress sent to Canada's Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman in July, James said that 'since then, rather than progress, we have seen escalation.' Story continues below advertisement James said Kinew's declaration of a second state of emergency in Manitoba 'confirmed what many Americans have feared: that Canada is not doing nearly enough to stop these fires before they start.' The American lawmaker also criticized Kinew's comments in response to the initial letter. Kinew in July said it turns people off politics 'when you have got a group of congresspeople trying to trivialize and make hay out of a wildfire season where we've lost lives in our province.' A husband and wife were killed by a fast-moving wildfire northeast of Winnipeg in May and thousands have been evacuated from their communities. James said Kinew's comments dismissed the health impacts the wildfire smoke has on neighbouring states. The Republican said the smoke amounts to a public health emergency 'and it is actively damaging the U.S.-Canada relationship.' The increasing pressure from Republicans comes as the bilateral relationship between the two countries remains tense. On Aug. 1, U.S. President Donald Trump boosted tariffs on Canadian goods to 35 per cent after a new security and economic agreement failed to materialize ahead of the president's deadline. The duties do not apply to goods compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade. Canada is also being hit with Trump's steel, aluminum, copper and automobile tariffs. Natural Resources Canada said in July that wildfires are a global problem caused by the effects of climate change, including prolonged drought. Story continues below advertisement Trump has called climate change a 'hoax' and his administration dismissed all of the scientists working on a flagship climate report. Many Republicans point to the 2023 Canadian wildfire season, which was the worst on record. Fires blazing across the country that year sent thick smoke into the United States and even across the Atlantic Ocean to northern Europe. Canadian officials have warned that this year's wildfire season could shape up to be the second-worst on record. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, a non-profit owned and operated by federal, provincial and territorial wildland fire management agencies, said on its website that 744 active wildfires were burning across Canada on Wednesday. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said Tuesday that Canada's recent wildfires offer a 'stark reminder' of the countries' shared challenges. In a statement shared by the U.S. Embassy, Hoekstra said the United States and Canada have 'a long history' of supporting one another in times of crisis. 'Canadians stood with us during the tragic California wildfires earlier this year, and we are committed to standing with Canada now,' he said. Wildfires burning across multiple American states, including California, have been sending smoke into nearby communities.
CTV News
8 hours ago
- CTV News
‘We have to do something': Indigenous advocacy group opposes irrigation project
A group from Cumberland House and Star Blanket Cree Nation held a demonstration in Saskatoon on Aug. 6, 2025. They're sounding the alarm over the downstream effects of dams on the river delta. (Hallee Mandryk / CTV News) A group of Indigenous women from Cumberland House and Star Blanket Cree Nation are sharing their concerns over water security in their communities. 'The Campbell Dam, which we're just below from, that lake used to be 30 miles long and it used to be 30 to 40 feet deep. Today, it's barely two miles across, two feet of water and the rest of the sludgy sandbar and mud,' Denise McKenzie, a Saskatchewan River Delta advocate said. McKenzie is part of the Indigenous Saskatchewan Women's Environmental Water Advocacy Keepers. The group recently hosted an event in Saskatoon's Rotary Park to share their concerns and teach the public about the Saskatchewan River Delta. 'We have to do something, you know … before it completely dies on us. And we need that water, our environment needs that water. Our wildlife needs that water, and we as human beings, we need that water,' Veronica Favel, an advocate for the Saskatchewan River Delta said. The event specifically highlighted concerns about the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation project. The $4 billion project is intended to utilize water from southern Saskatchewan's largest body of water to help agricultural production. In June, Cumberland House Cree Nation filed a lawsuit against the province for failing to protect the river delta, warning that industrial and agricultural activity upstream was causing an 'ecological crisis.' The lawsuit alleged the province was promoting further development without a credible plan to manage the environmental impacts. At the time, the First Nation said animal and fish populations in the delta have plummeted, and the water was no longer safe to drink. 'It's going really fast. I can see the next decade, if we continue this way, it's going to go on. And with the irrigation project that's going to totally wipe us out sooner,' McKenzie said on Wednesday. 'It's going really fast. I can see the next decade, if we continue this way, it's going to go on. And with the irrigation project that's going to totally wipe us out sooner,' McKenzie said. In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) said it was planning a consultation process with stakeholders in the near future. 'WSA has proactively declared this project for a provincial environmental assessment and is committed to collecting feedback with rights holders and stakeholders through various engagements over the next several months,' the water regulator said. 'Gardiner Dam and Lake Diefenbaker were built for one million acres of modern irrigation. Currently there are 166,000 acres of irrigation developed in the reservoir. This means there is significant opportunity for development while still balancing the needs of other water users in the system.' But those in Rotary Park on Wednesday afternoon shared that it is about more than one irrigation project. 'It's really important because we're losing a lot of our traditional ways of life. We see it with the fires, we're seeing it with the loss of our water, that it's not just us that's being affected. It's not just the humans. It's the animals, it's all of our ways of life,' Jocelyn Ormero, the president of Gabriel Dumont Local 11 said. Ormero said that while not all Saskatchewan municipalities have bodies of water running through, there is a responsibility of those in the province to protect natural resources for the next generation to see. 'It's important that the next generation coming up in those places have some place to grow up. Because living in a city isn't everything for all of us. It's important to have those ways of life continue on in that tradition,' Ormero said. The group will be heading to Regina on Thursday to share their message in front of the Saskatchewan legislature. 'Without protecting the water, without our traditional ecological knowledge, things aren't okay, and we're seeing that in the world right now. Everything's on fire. And had [we] listened to Indigenous ways of knowing, that might not be the case,' Ormero said. -With files from Rory MacLean
Global News
8 hours ago
- Global News
Record number of people leaving B.C., mostly for Alberta and Ontario
B.C. has historically been a place many move to for employment opportunities and an active lifestyle, but that appears to no longer be the case. Economic perspectives from the Business Council of British Columbia, which tracked interprovincial migration, found that out-migration of B.C. residents to other provinces surged to almost 70,000 people over the last few years. The business council said this was a record level — by comparison, the next closest peaks in out-migration were 64,000 in 1998 and 65,000 in 1975. Meanwhile, the report found that people moving to B.C. from across Canada dropped to around 55,0000, which is below the long-term average of around 62,000. 'What we heard repeatedly is people who are leaving are leaving by necessity and not by choice,' Braden McMillan with the Business Council of B.C. said. Story continues below advertisement 'We heard that across the province, people were not just sending us snippets, they were sending full essays.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Of the more than 3,000 respondents to the business council, 36 per cent of respondents pointed directly at housing. Twenty-eight per cent blamed taxes and regulations for leaving B.C. and 23 per cent expressed concerns about jobs and wages, while 18 per cent pointed to a lack of public services. 1:57 'Stay with BC' campaign aims at keeping young people in province 'When other provinces like Alberta or Washington are rolling out the red carpet, we cannot be rolling out the red tape. We need to be focused on the economy,' McMillan said. Gavin Dew, the B.C. Conservative economic development critic said these numbers are concerning because B.C. is losing the next generation of people who can't see a future in the province. Story continues below advertisement The majority of people who left B.C. went to either Alberta or Ontario, with two-thirds of those leaving being under the age of 40. The provincial government says they are attempting to put in place conditions that make staying in B.C. worthwhile. 'I can't speak to the individual decisions of British Columbians but what I can say (is) we are tackling issues like cost of living,' B.C.'s deputy Premier Niki Sharma said.
