Latest news with #SPSA
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
‘Need more boots on the ground': Saskatchewan calls for more resources to fight wildfires
Volunteer firefighters from Davidson, Sask., load up their truck at the Provincial Wildfire Center in Prince Albert, Sask., Wednesday, June 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) says additional firefighting resources are required as the province battles 51 active wildfires. 'We need more boots on the ground,' vice president of operations for SPSA Steve Roberts said in a media briefing Friday afternoon. 'We have a lot of fire on the landscape, and our crews have been working for over six weeks now, almost non-stop.' Saskatchewan NDP Athabasca MLA Leroy Laliberte is demanding the province immediately seek federal help to fight fires. 'The Sask. Party either doesn't know how to fight these fires or doesn't care,' Laliberte said. 'Either way, the people I've been talking to for a week now aren't getting the resources and relief firefighters they need.' Roberts says they've reached out to federal counterparts and are requesting specific resources, including values protection teams and additional helicopters. He added that the province has already secured permission to use a fire camp from the Department of National Defense if needed, though current camp resources remain sufficient. According to Roberts, international reinforcements have also begun arriving, including 40 firefighters from Australia, 40 from Mexico, and crews from Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. 'Having more resources is definitely a benefit, it allows our staff to get a little bit of reprieve from the stressful, long hours in harsh conditions,' he said. On Friday, eight communities have been partially or fully evacuated, affecting about 1,700 people. The evacuated communities include Canoe Lake/Cole Bay/ Canoe Narrows, Jans Bay, La Plonge Indian Reserve, Montreal Lake Cree Nation, Northern Village of Beauval, Northern Village of Pinehouse, Patuanak/ English River First Nation and Resort Subdivision of Lac la Plonge. According to the SPSA's website, as of Friday afternoon, 11 wildfires are uncontained, including the Muskeg Fire near Beauval and the Buhl Fire at the northern edge of Prince Albert National Park. The Shoe Fire is the largest uncontained wildfire with 539,248.18 hectares burned, followed by Pisew Fire with a current size of 197,263.0 hectares, according to the SPSA. Saskatchewan has seen 378 wildfires this year which is above the five-year average of 289.
Sharjah 24
4 days ago
- General
- Sharjah 24
Sharjah's "Salamatk" Bus: Empowering Schools and Staff
Benefiting 965 Trainees 22 British-curriculum schools were reached, benefiting 965 trainees, including guards and support staff, who received practical training on safety concepts and procedures in the school environment. In the second quarter, the visits targeted schools that follow foreign curricula. 14 field visits were conducted, benefiting 444 trainees from the same categories. This is part of a phased plan aimed at covering all schools in the Emirate. Enhancing Safety in School Environment SPSA emphasised that raising awareness among support staff is one of the most important elements in enhancing safety in the school environment, making reaching these groups a priority to ensure their readiness and ability to act appropriately in emergency situations. The "Salamatk Bus" is an effective means of directly and practically transferring this knowledge.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Sask. community that lost 300 homes to wildfire receives $1.8 million for cleanup
Denare Beach, Sask., is seen from the air in a June 21, 2025, handout photo. Homes destroyed by a recent wildfire are seen in the centre-right. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has said 218 personal residences were lost to the blaze in early June. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Will Penner (Mandatory Credit) As many of Saskatchewan's early season wildfires now approach full containment – funds are being distributed to communities devastated by the blazes. Denare Beach, which lost 300 of its 413 homes to the Wolf Fire, will now be receiving $1.8 million for cleanup and 'debris management' efforts. 'The SPSA Recovery Task Team continues to work directly with affected communities to begin the process of clearing debris and to support the safe rebuilding of those communities,' Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said in his remarks Wednesday. According to Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) vice president Steve Roberts, the Pisew and Wolf Fires are 90 per cent contained, while the Shoe Fire is 75 per cent contained. Other major blazes, such as the Muskeg and Buhl Fires are still uncontained. The Buhl Fire, which has crossed over into Prince Albert National Park, is being managed by both Parks Canada and provincial authorities. 'We are bringing resources in, as mentioned, including from across Canada, across the continental U.S., and from our partners abroad. That is in addition to the 154 type-three firefighters that have been employed to assist us locally,' Roberts explained. As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 49 active wildfires throughout the province – with only seven listed as contained. There are currently eight active evacuations across the north. The number of residents affected by each order differ greatly, with the evacuation of Beauval affecting approximately 700 people – while Lac La Plonge's evacuation affected just five. The current evacuations have led to around 1,100 residents being forced from their homes. Some evacuees in the province hail from Manitoba. According to SPSA President Marlo Pritchard, the majority of the evacuees from Beauval, which was spared from the worst effects of the Muskeg Fire late last week – are currently being supported in hotels – with financial and food supports being rolled out as efficiently as possible. 'All of those individuals have been contacted to ensure that they are safe, staying with family and friends, and those financial, food security checks are being processed based on a priority system and basically triaged based on need,' he explained. 'The $500 [cheques] is really designed for the return of the evacuees to the community to help offset those, those unanticipated costs from being away from home over a number of days or weeks … we will continue to work at that as fast as we can.' A fire ban remains in effect for the area north of Saskatchewan's provincial forest boundary up to the Churchill River.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
LIVE @ 1:30: Saskatchewan to provide update on wildfires, evacuations
The SPSA is expected to provide a provincial wildfire update at 1:30 Wednesday afternoon. Watch LIVE here. Officials from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) are set to provide an update on firefighting efforts in the province's north. Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Tim McLeod is expected to answer questions alongside fire officials. Those remarks will be streamed live at the top of this article at 1:30 p.m. As of Wednesday morning, there are 49 active wildfires throughout the province – with only seven listed as contained. One of the uncontained blazes, the Buhl Fire, covers more than 33,000 hectares, 6,200 of which are within Prince Albert National Park. As of Tuesday evening, the fire was 31 kilometres from the townsite of Waskesiu. When a pre-evacuation alert was issued on Sunday, the fire was 40 kilometres from the community. According to officials with Parks Canada, 29 personnel, three helicopters and other heavy equipment has been mobilized to contain the fire. There are currently eight active evacuations across the north. They include the resort subdivision of Lac La Plonge, the La Plonge Indian Reserve, Beauval, Jans Bay, Patuanak/English River First Nation as well as priority individuals from Montreal Lake Cree Nation, Pinehouse, Île-à-la-Crosse and Canoe Lake Cree First Nation/Cole Bay/Canoe Narrows. A fire ban remains in effect for the area north of Saskatchewan's provincial forest boundary up to the Churchill River.
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Canoe Narrows, Sask., under full wildfire evacuation order for 2nd time this year due
Another northern Saskatchewan community is now under a full evacuation order due to growing wildfire danger. Priority residents of Canoe Narrows, part of the Canoe Lake Cree First Nation located about 350 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, were instructed to leave the community by 7 a.m. CST Wednesday in a Facebook post on Tuesday night by Michelle Morin, a resident and emergency management response co-ordinator. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) expanded the order overnight to include all residents. Poor internet connection? CBC Lite is our low-bandwidth website. This marks the second time Canoe Narrows has had to evacuate this year due to wildfires. Morin said evacuees are being directed to Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., where registration will take place at the Wingate and Hampton Inn hotels. Neighbouring Jans Bay remains under a full evacuation order as well due to the nearby Trail Fire, which is burning just south of both communities. According to the SPSA, there were 49 active wildfires in the province as of 10 a.m. CST Wednesday, with seven considered contained. The SPSA said 40 firefighters from Australia have arrived to support Saskatchewan's wildfire response, and another 40 from Mexico are expected later this week. They join crews from across Canada and the United States, including help from Quebec, British Columbia, Alaska, and several U.S. states. "Saskatchewan is grateful to everyone who has helped with the unprecedented wildfire season," SPSA vice president of operations Steve Roberts said in a news release. "Thank you to everyone local and abroad for the immense support in the air and on the ground."
