Saskatchewan wildfires have forced 15,000 evacuations and counting: premier
As Manitoba grapples with wildfires that have forced more than 17,000 people from their homes, the premier of Saskatchewan said Tuesday the situation is becoming just as dire in his province.
Scott Moe said upwards of 15,000 in Saskatchewan have had to leave their communities and more are likely in the coming days.
'We didn't have a very good day yesterday, with the weather the way it was, where the fires are and just how aggressive they are as they bear down on communities,' he told reporters at a wildfire update in Prince Albert, Sask.
'We're probably approaching in the neighbourhood of 15,000 people that have been evacuated across the province and being supported in communities throughout Saskatchewan, and more families are leaving their homes as we speak.'
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
Moe said the biggest destruction has been in places like the northern village of Denare Beach, where some family homes have been lost.
Story continues below advertisement
And there will likely be challenging days ahead due to a lack of rain in the forecast.
1:48
Saskatchewan wildfire evacuees call for support
Moe said he has spoken with other premiers, as well as Prime Minister Mark Carney, and was told that resources would be made available to battle the fires that continue to affect more than 30 communities.
An evacuation order was handed down Monday for about 7,000 people in the town of La Ronge, nearby Air Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
Officials said fire breached the La Ronge airport, where the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency lost its air tanker base but none of the tankers were damaged.
Evacuees from the area were told to head south to Prince Albert, 240 kilometres south of La Ronge.
Story continues below advertisement
About 8,000 residents had already been displaced by fires in recent weeks.
— By Aaron Sousa in Edmonton
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
34 minutes ago
- Global News
Trump suggests Ukraine, Russia may need to ‘fight for a while'
President Donald Trump said Thursday that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. In an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump likened the war in Ukraine — which Russia invaded in early 2022 — to a fight between two young children who hated each other. 'Sometimes you're better off letting them a fight for a while and then pulling them apart,' Trump said. He added that he had relayed that analogy to Russian President Vladimir Putin in their phone conversation on Wednesday. Asked about Trump's comments as the two leaders sat next to each other, Merz stressed that both he and Trump agreed 'on this war and how terrible this war is going on,' pointing to the U.S. president as the 'key person in the world' who would be able to stop the bloodshed. Story continues below advertisement But Merz also emphasized that Germany 'was on the side of Ukraine' and that Kyiv was only attacking military targets, not Russian civilians. 'We are trying to get them stronger,' Merz said of Ukraine. 6:30 Little Progress Made in Russia and Ukraine Peace Talks Thursday's meeting marked the first time that the two leaders sat down in person. After exchanging pleasantries — Merz gave Trump a gold-framed birth certificate of the U.S president's grandfather Friedrich Trump, who immigrated from Germany — the two leaders were to discuss issues such as Ukraine, trade and NATO spending. Trump and Merz have spoken several times by phone, either bilaterally or with other European leaders, since Merz took office on May 6. German officials say the two leaders have started to build a 'decent' relationship, with Merz wanting to avoid the antagonism that defined Trump's relationship with one of his predecessors, Angela Merkel, in the Republican president's first term. Story continues below advertisement The 69-year-old Merz — who came to office with an extensive business background — is a conservative former rival of Merkel's who took over her party after she retired from politics. A White House official said topics that Trump is likely to raise with Merz include Germany's defense spending, trade, Ukraine and what the official called 'democratic backsliding,' saying the administration's view is that shared values such as freedom of speech have deteriorated in Germany and the country should reverse course. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the discussions. But Merz told reporters Thursday morning that if Trump wanted to talk German domestic politics, he was ready to do that but he also stressed Germany holds back when it comes to American domestic politics. 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 Merz has thrown himself into diplomacy on Ukraine, traveling to Kyiv with fellow European leaders days after taking office and receiving Zelenskyy in Berlin last week. He has thanked Trump for his support for an unconditional ceasefire while rejecting the idea of 'dictated peace' or the 'subjugation' of Ukraine and advocating for more sanctions against Russia. In their first phone call since Merz became chancellor, Trump said he would support the efforts of Germany and other European countries to achieve peace, according to a readout from the German government. Merz also said last month that 'it is of paramount importance that the political West not let itself be divided, so I will continue to make every effort to produce the greatest possible unity between the European and American partners.' Story continues below advertisement 1:55 Russia and Ukraine agree to prisoner swap, but peace talks stall Under Merz's immediate predecessor, Olaf Scholz, Germany became the second-biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine after the United States. Merz has vowed to keep up the support and last week pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any range limits. In his remarks on Thursday, Trump still left the threat of sanctions on the table. He said sanctions could be imposed for both Ukraine and Russia. 'When I see the moment where it's not going to stop … we'll be very, very tough,' Trump said. At home, Merz's government is intensifying a drive that Scholz started to bolster the German military after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In Trump's first term, Berlin was a target of his ire for failing to meet the current NATO target of spending two per cent of gross domestic product on defense, and Trump is now demanding at least five per cent from allies. Story continues below advertisement The White House official said the upcoming NATO summit in the Netherlands later this month is a 'good opportunity' for Germany to commit to meeting that five per cent mark. Scholz set up a 100 billion euro (US$115 billion) special fund to modernize Germany's armed forces — called the Bundeswehr — which had suffered from years of neglect. Germany has met the two per cent target thanks to the fund, but it will be used up in 2027. Merz has said that 'the government will in the future provide all the financing the Bundeswehr needs to become the strongest conventional army in Europe.' He has endorsed a plan for all allies to aim to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on their defense budgets by 2032, plus an extra 1.5 per cent on potentially defense-related things like infrastructure. Another top priority for Merz is to get Germany's economy, Europe's biggest, moving again after it shrank the past two years. He wants to make it a 'locomotive of growth,' but Trump's tariff threats are a potential obstacle for a country whose exports have been a key strength. At present, the economy is forecast to stagnate in 2025. Germany exported US$160 billion worth of goods to the U.S. last year, according to the Census Bureau. That was about US$85 billion more than what the U.S. sent to Germany, a trade deficit that Trump wants to erase. Story continues below advertisement 'Germany is one of the very big investors in America,' Merz told reporters Thursday morning. 'Only a few countries invest more than Germany in the USA. We are in third place in terms of foreign direct investment.' 0:28 Ukraine claims drone strike on Russian air bases as both sides prepare for peace talks The U.S. president has specifically gone after the German auto sector, which includes major brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen. Americans bought US$36 billion worth of cars, trucks and auto parts from Germany last year, while the Germans purchased US$10.2 billion worth of vehicles and parts from the U.S. Trump's 25 per cent tariff on autos and parts is specifically designed to increase the cost of German-made automobiles in hopes of causing them to move their factories to the U.S., even though many of the companies already have plants in the U.S. with Volkswagen in Tennessee, BMW in South Carolina and Mercedes-Benz in Alabama and South Carolina. Story continues below advertisement There's only so much Merz can achieve on his view that tariffs 'benefit no one and damage everyone' while in Washington, as trade negotiations are a matter for the European Union's executive commission. Trump recently delayed a planned 50 per cent tariff on goods coming from the European Union, which would have otherwise gone into effect this month. One source of strain in recent months is a speech Vice President JD Vance gave in Munich shortly before Germany's election in February, in which he lectured European leaders about the state of democracy on the continent and said there is no place for 'firewalls.' That term is frequently used to describe mainstream German parties' refusal to work with the far-right Alternative for Germany, which finished second in the election and is now the biggest opposition party. Merz criticized the comments. He told ARD television last month that it isn't the place of a U.S. vice president 'to say something like that to us in Germany; I wouldn't do it in America, either.' —Moulson reported from Berlin. Associated Press writer Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Bill 5 officially becomes law in Ontario as MPPs set to rise for summer
The lieutenant governor has granted royal assent to the Ford government's controversial mining legislation, among other bills, officially passing it into law at Queen's Park on Thursday. Just after midday, final sign-off was granted for Bill 5, or the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act. The law will create so-called special economic zones where projects can bypass various provincial laws. The legislation has sparked a storm of backlash from First Nations leaders who are promising a summer of disruption and protests in response to a law they believe infringes on their treaty rights. As Progressive Conservative MPPs gave Bill 5 approval on its final reading Wednesday, the last legislative step, the galleries exploded with opposition, mainly from First Nations members who travelled to Toronto to watch. 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 'This fight is not over — we will meet you on the ground,' Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler told reporters after the bill passed third reading. 'He did not even have the guts to show up for the vote, and to me, that tells me he's a coward.' Story continues below advertisement The province has promised to consult with Indigenous leaders over the summer and not designate any areas as special economic zones until that process is complete. Indigenous leaders have said they won't co-operate. 'What an insult that is to consult us on something that's already been done,' Fiddler added, saying he would not be involved with consultations over the law the government plans to hold this summer. Others have warned that protests will take place over the summer — which could include highway blockades and protests at mines. The government also received royal assent for a number of other bills, including justice legislation that could arm special constables and a bill to clear encampments. They are also now law. Thursday is the final day of the legislative session at Queen's Park before MPPs return to their ridings for the summer. They are currently scheduled to return in the fall.
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Trump says U.S.-China trade talks back on after call with Xi
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that his first call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping since returning to office was 'very positive,' announcing that the two countries will hold trade talks in hopes of breaking an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals. 'Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined,' Trump wrote on his social media platform after the call, which he said lasted an hour and a half. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the U.S. side in negotiations. The Republican president, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, also said Xi 'graciously' invited him and first lady Melania Trump to China, and Trump reciprocated with his own invitation for Xi to visit the United States. Story continues below advertisement The Chinese foreign ministry said Trump initiated the call between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies. The ministry said in a statement that Xi asked Trump to 'remove the negative measures' that the U.S. has taken against China. It also said that Trump said 'the U.S. loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America,' although his administration has vowed to revoke some of their visas. 2:57 Implications of the U.S.-China trade agreement for the Canadian economy Comparing the bilateral relationship to a ship, Xi told Trump that the two sides need to 'take the helm and set the right course' and to 'steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions,' according to the ministry statement. 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 Trump had declared one day earlier that it was difficult to reach a deal with Xi. 'I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!' Trump posted Wednesday on his social media site. Story continues below advertisement Trade negotiations between the United States and China stalled shortly after a May 12 agreement between the two countries to reduce their tariff rates while talks played out. Behind the gridlock has been the continued competition for an economic edge. The U.S. accuses China of not exporting critical minerals, and the Chinese government objects to America restricting its sale of advanced chips and its access to student visas for college and graduate students. 2:20 U.S. and China reach 90-day trade truce, Trump announces Trump has lowered his 145% tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% for 90 days to allow for talks. China also reduced its taxes on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. The back and forth has caused sharp swings in global markets and threatens to hamper trade between the two countries. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had suggested that only a conversation between Trump and Xi could resolve these differences so that talks could restart in earnest. The underlying tension between the two countries may still persist, though. Story continues below advertisement During the call, Xi said the Chinese side is sincere about negotiating and 'at the same time has its principles,' and the Chinese president said 'the Chinese always honor and deliver what has been promised,' according to the Chinese foreign ministry. Even if negotiations resume, Trump wants to lessen America's reliance on Chinese factories and reindustrialize the U.S., whereas China wants the ability to continue its push into technologies such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence that could be crucial to securing its economic future. The United States ran a trade imbalance of $295 billion with China in 2024, according to the Census Bureau. While the Chinese government's focus on manufacturing has turned it into a major economic and geopolitical power, China has been muddling through a slowing economy after a real estate crisis and coronavirus pandemic lockdowns weakened consumer spending. Trump and Xi last spoke in January, three days before Inauguration Day. The pair discussed trade then, as well as Trump's demands that China do more to prevent the synthetic opioid fentanyl from entering the United States. Despite long expressing optimism about the prospects for a major deal, Trump became more pessimistic recently. 'The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,' Trump posted last week. 'So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!'
