‘We have feelers already out': Sask. ready to lean on Alberta for help with evacuees if needed

CTV News

2 days ago

WATCH: As the forests burn, and more people are displaced in the province, officials are reaching out to Alberta and Manitoba looking for support for evacuees.
A wildfire raging near Pelican Narrows has led to nearly 2,000 people being evacuated from the area – with many of them finding refuge in Saskatoon.
As of Sunday, June 1, more than 8,000 people had been evacuated due to wildfire risk. Monday evening saw that number expand by several thousand, as the communities of La Ronge, Air Ronge and Lac La Ronge Indian Band fell under mandatory evacuations.
It's all hands-on deck to find places for people to go and that includes the local hospitality industry.
'When wildfires happen, that's typically the time of year when our hotels are getting full with other types of business so it can be a real challenge and can raise some real questions about how to best manage displaced persons, ' Jim Bence, CEO and president of Hospitality Saskatchewan, told CTV News.
According to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), some people were taken to Cold Lake in Alberta last week.
If needed, the province is prepared to lean on its western neighbour again.
'If Saskatchewan as a province is not able to support the numbers, then yes, indeed, we have feelers already out. Those are to our neighbours, obviously to the west which makes more sense because Manitoba is also constrained,' SPSA vice president of operations Steve Roberts explained.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) is helping to move evacuees from some reserves while the SPSA is moving others, sometimes in the same area.
'So, that's where there's some confusion on, who do I contact if I need support. So, we understand that, but the primary goal is to get people out of harm's way and then try to get them to support sending once they're out of harm's way,' Roberts said.
The Canadian Red Cross continues their work to help evacuees at The Cosmo Civic Centre and various hotels in Saskatoon.
They are also providing an opportunity for Canadians who want to help. Anyone interested can do so by donating to the 2025 Saskatchewan Wildfire Appeal.
The donations support Saskatchewan people impacted by the wildfires. Donations will ensure the Red Cross can provide immediate and ongoing aid.
The hospitality industry, meanwhile, is currently working on a system where people can go in an emergency to quickly find accommodations provincewide.
'It won't just list which rooms are available, but where they're available so that when the traffic cascades, where can we get people situated the fastest, the most efficiently,' Bence said.
As of Monday evening, 36 communities across northern Saskatchewan have either been evacuated or are under an evacuation order –leading to a constantly changing evacuee support plan.