Latest news with #SharonPratchler
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Sask. wildfire evacuees 18 and older to receive $500 emergency fund, premier says
Volunteer firefighters from Davidson, Sask., load up their truck at the Provincial Wildfire Center in Prince Albert, Sask., Wednesday, June 4, 2025. The fire fighters are on their way to Weyakwin. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards All Saskatchewan wildfire evacuees 18 years or older, will now receive an additional $500 emergency investment. The funds will be distributed by local leaders as part of a provincial/municipal partnership. 'These funds are going to help support families, not only through their evacuated time, but going to help support them as they encounter the cost of returning to their home community,' Premier Scott Moe told reporters in Saskatoon Wednesday. The $500 fund is in addition to other financial assistance offered to those registered with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). Currently, the head of a household receives $40 a day while each additional member receives $20 - up to a maximum of $200 daily. During his remarks, Moe referenced the issues with provincial support for wildfire evacuees – and reassured residents that the government is working to fix these issues. 'We have realized that there are bottlenecks in the systems that we have to support those families,' he said. 'We pushed ourselves … to address those concerns in as timely a manner, and often hours, not days, to provide the supports that are necessary.' On Tuesday, Saskatchewan Ombudsman Sharon Pratchler announced her office would be reviewing the province's handling of providing support to wildfire evacuees – after receiving a flood of complaints and requests for assistance from displaced residents. There are 23 active wildfires in Saskatchewan. Six are considered not contained. There have been 259 wildfires so far this fire season – up from the five-year average of 147. -More to come…
Global News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
Saskatchewan premier to respond to criticism over wildfire response
As criticisms mount from evacuees and the provincial ombudsman, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is set to address the media over concerns about his government's response times and financial support for those forced out of their homes. Ombudsman Sharon Pratchler took the rare step of issuing immediate recommendations on Tuesday, after days of working with evacuees on their issues accessing crucial supports, including financial aid and housing. 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 She called for immediate responses to evacuees, 24-7 service and retroactive payments for financial support. She noted some evacuees are being forced to 'make difficult choices on how to spend their last dollars.' The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said later in the day it would be increasing staffing for the evacuee hotline to help clear the backlog of those looking for assistance. Moe will speak at 10 a.m. CST. The press conference will be live-streamed here.
CBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Province's delays in response to wildfire evacuees have 'fuelled distrust': Sask. ombudsman
Social Sharing Saskatchewan ombudsman Sharon Pratchler says the provincial government's response to wildfire evacuations needs to improve. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Pratchler said she has been hearing calls from evacuees living in cars, tents and parking lots without access to basic needs like food or shelter, or clear information about where they should go and who is supposed to support them. "Your process to provide services to those people who have been displaced from the homes in northern Saskatchewan are not working for many of them," Pratchler said. Pratchler said her office has received numerous calls from people confused about where to go due to a lack of organization. "We believe that people would be better able to manage the situation when they understand that there is a plan in place, and what that plan is and how it affects them," she said. Pratchler issued 14 immediate calls to action to improve supports for evacuees. They include ensuring the 24/7 help hotline is properly staffed, creating one list of all evacuation sites, ensuring that there is a space for doctors who have been evacuated from La Ronge to see their patients, and providing information on a long-term plan for rehousing those who have lost their homes. She said these calls to action are urgent. "The delays in response and accesses to services to meet basic needs, a safe place to sleep and food has fuelled distrust," Pratchler said. Pratchler promised a formal investigation into the government's handling of the crisis. "There will be a review by my office later on, but the focus right now is on immediate needs," she said. As of noon CST Tuesday, there were 23 active wildfires in the province, with five considered contained, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. 'Pure chaos and callous failure': NDP Jordan McPhail, the Saskatchewan NDP's MLA for Cumberland — which includes the northeastern region, where many fires are burning — says he has heard the same concerns the ombudsman expressed. "What Pratchler has revealed this morning reinforces so much of what I've been hearing since the wildfire crisis began nearly two weeks ago," the Opposition MLA said at a Tuesday news conference. McPhail said he's been told some evacuees are going thousands of dollars into debt trying to manage the crisis, and some are driving long distances to use grocery store vouchers provided to evacuees by the province. "Pure chaos and callous failure, and the Sask. Party government doesn't seem to care," McPhail said. Opposition House leader Nicole Sarauer is calling on the Saskatchewan Party government to take immediate action on help that includes providing proper long-term shelter, financial aid and a list of all available supports of all evacuation centres, along with better communication overall. "I can't even imagine why that doesn't already exist," Sarauer said. Denare Beach resident left without a home Chantelle Morin has been living in a camper trailer in Prince Albert with her family since fleeing Denare Beach, in northeastern Saskatchewan, last month. The wildfire that tore through the village and the nearby Denare Beach reserve left widespread destruction. "To lose three-quarters of your community and for everybody to be displaced, we have no homes to go to when we are able to go home," Morin said. "There's lots of us that have no homes to go to." WATCH | Denare Beach evacuee living in camper, uncertain about future or support: Denare Beach evacuee living in camper, uncertain about future or support 4 hours ago Duration 2:11 Many evacuees say they are confused and getting the run-around from support agencies as they seek assistance after being displaced by wildfires in northern Saskatchewan. Morin says getting help as an evacuee has been challenging, with multiple agencies offering assistance, which makes it unclear where to go for help. Morin is a member of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, which includes eight communities. Denare Beach is among those. She said the Red Cross is responsible for providing evacuation support, but hasn't been helpful to her so far. "We haven't got any assistance from them, like any laundry slips or things that help us get by the day." The province also offers daily financial support through the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency — $40 for the head of household and $20 for each additional family member, up to $200 per day. But Morin says that isn't enough for evacuees like her. She says she has received some help from her band, but her family is being forced to cover too much on their own. "Right now, we're using our savings to get the things that aren't being donated to the evacuation centre," she said. "Those other necessities we're spending out of pocket." Though some evacuees from Pelican Narrows — about 80 kilometres northwest of Denare Beach — are now allowed to return home, that's not the case for Morin's family. There's been no clear timeline on when that will happen. "We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow," she said. "We're just going day by day since last Saturday. We don't know when we can go home. We don't know when we can go through anything that's left."
CTV News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Sask. ombudsman investigating provincial wildfire response, handling of evacuees
Saskatchewan Ombudsman Sharon Pratchler speaking to reporters on June 10, 2025. Pratchler says her office will be investigating the provincial response and support of evacuees due to raging wildfires in the province's north. Saskatchewan ombudsman Sharon Pratchler says provincial efforts to help those fleeing wildfires in the north are falling desperately short. 'Our office will be conducting a systemic investigation in terms of the response to the forest fires and the evacuation and services provided,' Pratchler announced Tuesday. The scope of the investigation has not yet been determined. Pratchler says her office has received complaints from residents – with some saying they've been forced to sleep in their vehicles, while others have reported limited access to food and medical care. 'I don't have a place to sleep tonight. I don't have food. My baby doesn't have diapers,' she said, recalling complaints from several evacuees. 'People are confused, frustrated and overwhelmed by a lack of information on how to access services. The information has been inconsistent or hard to get,' she added. Pratchler highlighted delays in responses from government agencies tasked with providing supports. She noted one instance, which saw her staff work for two days to get an evacuee access to food and housing. 'As an employee of the Government of Saskatchewan, it took us two days to get them into the house,' she explained. 'When their world has totally collapsed around them, they need an immediate response.' The ombudsman outlined a series of solutions that the province must undertake to properly support wildfire evacuees. They included fixing inconsistencies with support payments, critical incident debriefings when a community is heavily damaged or destroyed (such as in Denare Beach) and one list of all evacuation sites detailing which communities have been sent where – so that family members can locate each other. 'The solutions involve immediate responses and resources and at least some information of the long-term solutions, even if they are not perfectly known at this time,' she said. Pratchler revealed that her office has also been providing a phone line for evacuees – attempting to fill in gaps in services. 'It's an unprecedented situation for us to be asked by SPSA to run the 24/7 home service for firefighters and firefighter groups … It's unprecedented for us to have evacuees reaching out, saying they're not getting food and they're not having a place to stay,' she said. 'They're feeling abandoned, they're feeling, sometimes hopeless. They're feeling angry and frustrated, and they want answers.' As of Monday, 10,262 people are being supported by the Canadian Red Cross – while 860 are being supported by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). Ombudsman Saskatchewan is responsible for receiving complaints centered around provincial or municipal services – including ministries, agencies, boards, authorities, Crown corporations and other publicly funded entities.
CBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Sask. ombudsman calls out province's 'delays in response' to wildfire evacuees
Social Sharing Saskatchewan's ombudsman Sharon Pratchler says the provincial government's response to wildfire evacuations needs to improve. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Pratchler said she has been hearing calls from evacuees living in cars, tents and parking lots without access to basic needs like food or shelter, or clear information about where they should go and who is supposed to support them. "Your process to provide services to those people who have been displaced from the homes in northern Saskatchewan are not working for many of them," Pratchler said. WATCH | Denare Beach evacuee living in camper, uncertain about future or support: Denare Beach evacuee living in camper, uncertain about future or support 3 hours ago Duration 2:11 Many evacuees say they are confused and getting the run-around from support agencies as they seek assistance after being displaced by wildfires in northern Saskatchewan. Pratchler said her office has received numerous calls from people confused about where to go due to a lack of organization. "We believe that people would be better able to manage the situation when they understand that there is a plan in place, and what that plan is and how it affects them," she said. Pratchler issued 14 immediate calls to action to improve supports for evacuees. They include ensuring the 24/7 help hotline is properly staffed, a database of all evacuation sites, spaces for doctors to see patients and information on a long-term plan for rehousing those who have lost their homes. She said these calls to action are urgent. "The delays in response and accesses to services to meet basic needs, a safe place to sleep and food has fuelled distrust," Pratchler said. Pratcher promised a formal investigation into the government's handling of the crisis. "There will be a review by my office later on, but the focus right now is on immediate needs," she said. As of noon CST Tuesday, there were 23 active wildfires in the province, with five considered contained, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.
