Latest news with #PrinceAlbertGrandCouncil
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Saskatchewan joins Manitoba in declaring state of emergency over wildfires
Cliff Buettner, the former director of Prince Albert Grand Council Emergency Services, says current weather forecasts make for complicated next steps. The Saskatchewan government declared a state of emergency on Thursday as wildfires continue to threaten communities across the province.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'This is our home': P.A. grand chief says Sask. wildfire situation is dire, but northern people are ready to fight
PRINCE ALBERT — As Brian Hardlotte looked out across the North Saskatchewan River, the air was clear and the breeze was mild. But it's been smoke, wind and fire that have preoccupied the mind of the grand chief of the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) as of late. For many in Saskatchewan's north, including some of the member First Nations under the council, the wildfire situation is dire, Hardlotte says. 'The conditions this spring with no rainfall, not too much snow, and the high winds — the high winds are a big factor when it comes to drying the forest and the trees,' he said on Thursday night. 'We're fighting against, I guess, climate change, I can say.' All of these environmental factors have led to the fires menacing northern Saskatchewan, causing the evacuations of thousands, putting others on notice and straining the resources available to stop the burns. When Hardlotte looks to the sky, it's the long-term forecast he wonders about, and whether it will help or hinder efforts to control the fires. He says he was glad to see Saskatchewan announce a state of emergency earlier on Thursday afternoon. Now, he hopes that more supports will be available, not only to fight the fires, but to take care of the people displaced by them — wherever they may be taken in. Packing up and fleeing from flames is nothing new for many northerners. 'It's something that we've been dealing with for years,' Hardlotte says. Nonetheless, it's traumatizing. 'Especially for elders, to be displaced from their homes,' he says. 'It's really something, you know, coming into the cities. They're not used to the cities.' He's thankful for partnerships, including with organizations like Red Cross, and with the First Nations themselves, whose staff members are being with those evacuated, in the centres and the hotels where they land. Even something like food can be a challenge for those displaced, he says, noting efforts have often been made to provide traditional food to displaced people, offering them a familiar taste in an extremely trying situation. He commends the cities and smaller centres opening their communities to those displaced. 'It's a team effort.' Saskatchewan declares state of emergency due to raging northern wildfires Saskatchewan wildfire situation worsens as mandatory evacuation ordered for Pelican Narrows 'Cried my eyes out': Northern Saskatchewan communities evacuated as wildfires burn Hardlotte notes that the province has instituted a Saskatchewan-wide fire ban — something he hopes people take seriously. 'Keep a watch out,' he says, asking that all communities with firefighting equipment have it ready to go. He notes that space to house evacuees is limited and preventing further evacuation, if possible, is top of mind for him. 'The resources are really depleted in the whole province. That's when the communities can come together and be prepared.' Hardlotte knows what it takes to fight fires. He's been on the frontlines. When he thinks back decades, he remembers folks coming from all around northern Saskatchewan, and even some from down south, to pitch in. Firefighting wasn't their full-time gig, but they were ready to go to work. They still are, he says. He welcomes crews coming from elsewhere while noting that in years past, he's seen those from the area fight fire with a special sense of purpose. 'This is our home. These are our traplines. This is our forest. These are our animals that we rely on. We were proud to be out there,' he says. 'We can be like that again.' bharder@ The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
First Nations call for emergency action in north as Creighton, Flin Flon added to list of wildfire evacuations
Another 2,000 residents have been evacuated from three more Saskatchewan communities due to raging wildfires in the province's north. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued late Wednesday night for Denare Beach, Creighton and just across the Manitoba border to neighbouring Flin Flon as a fire that started on Sunday continues to spread toward those communities. An evacuation was also issued for the hamlet of Weyakwin, which is north of Prince Albert, near Montreal Lake Cree Nation. Approximately 1,900 people live in Creighton and nearby Denare Beach, in addition to the 6,000 people in Flin Flon and surrounding area. Manitoba premier Wab Kinew declared a provincial state of emergency late Wednesday. Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and Montreal Lake Cree Nation are calling on Saskatchewan's provincial government to do the same. The three First Nations declared local states of emergency in a joint statement issued late Wednesday, saying they are concerned with 'critical shortages' in firefighting resources to meet the severity of the threat to their communities. All three nations' chiefs called for 'immediate action' from the provincial and federal governments to provide more personnel, air bombers and emergency support for evacuees. Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte of the Prince Albert Grand Council is asking Premier Scott Moe and Prime Minister Mark Carney to secure more resources and to meet with leaders of the affected First Nations to co-ordinate. 'This is the time for real partnership and action,' said a statement from Hardlotte, who's a member of Lac La Ronge Indian Band. Moe is expected to speak Thursday afternoon on the situation. Chief Peter Beatty of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation said more than 5,500 people have been evacuated from Pelican Narrows, Denare Beach and area, with 'thousands more at risk.' Communities are becoming 'boxed in by fire and smoke' and emergency teams in Morning Lake and Brabant Lake are evacuating people by boat and helicopter, said the joint statement. 'We are doing everything possible on the ground, but this situation is beyond our capacity to manage alone,' Beatty said in the release. Steve Roberts, vice-president of operations for the Saskatchewan Public Safety (SPSA), said Tuesday that all of the province's resources have been deployed, with air tankers from Quebec and Alaska already in rotation. 'We've gone to our Canadian partners and our other mutual aid partners to get more resources,' he said in a media conference. Roberts said the province is seeing an unusually intense level of wildfires in number, size and severity for May. 'I have been running this agency operation for wildfire for 21 years, and this is probably the busiest, most active landscape fire level we've had this early in the season,' he said. More than 8,300 people from northern Saskatchewan are currently on active evacuation orders, and many other communities on pre-alert. As of Thursday morning, 17 wildfires are actively burning, according to the SPSA. Stay tuned here for updates. — with files from Alec Salloum, Canadian Press lkurz@ Candle Lake firebreak approved, voluntary wildfire evacuation advised Saskatchewan wildfires 2025: What to know as the season begins and incidents escalate The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
