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CTV News
a day ago
- Climate
- CTV News
‘Turning a corner': Some Saskatchewan wildfire evacuees returning home after rain-filled weekend aids firefighting
People stop along a highway as a large active wildfire fills the sky with smoke in the background in the La Ronge, Sask., area in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, *MANDATORY CREDIT* Residents of Pelican Narrows, Weyakwin and other northern Saskatchewan communities have been given the green light to return to their homes – as the province's state of emergency due to wildfires enters its 12th day. Speaking to reporters Monday, Minister of Public Safety Tim McLeod said repatriation efforts are moving along following a weekend of rainfall which offered a much-needed reprieve for fire crews. The evacuation order for Weyakwin has been lifted. At the same time, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation announced Sunday that residents could begin returning to the community. Additionally, Foran Mining facilities southwest of Creighton are no longer considered under threat. McLeod says the company is anticipating a full return to its mine in the area by Friday. 'We're optimistic that more communities will indeed be returning home in the days and weeks ahead, and we look forward to that progress,' he said. Weyakwin, located 140 kilometres north of Prince Albert, was originally evacuated on May 31 due to the Ditch02 Fire. Saskatchewan RCMP have charged two suspects with arson in connection to that wildfire. McLeod says the province has determined most of the wildfires currently burning out of control were caused by human activity. 'We know that virtually all, if not all, of the forest fires in Saskatchewan were human caused, and unfortunately, some of those were intentionally caused by humans,' he said. There are 25 active wildfires in Saskatchewan as of Monday – with 256 recorded so far this year – smashing the five-year average of 145 by June 9. The SPSA has confirmed 295 structures have been damaged or destroyed due to wildfires this season. As of Monday, a total of 33 communities are on evacuation notice. According to the province, 10,262 people are being supported by the Canadian Red Cross – while 860 are being supported by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). An unknown number of residents have self-evacuated and are receiving intermittent supports while staying with family or friends. Federal support Responding to questions regarding federal aid – McLeod says the province is in constant communication with the federal government. 'This isn't a situation where we're not asking for assistance or they're not offering assistance,' he explained. 'It's simply a situation where the needs that we have to align with what they're offering and we continue to have those conversations daily to find that alignment.' McLeod says the province has requested two base camps from the federal government - in addition to two tents for sheltering up to 200 people. 'Those base camps would be established for working crews as they go back into the communities they're rebuilding,' he added. 'We're now turning a corner, I would say, and optimistic. Still much work to be done, but preparing for that next phase, making sure that we are ahead of the cleanup efforts and the rebuilding efforts that we know are to come with that.' Wildfires by the numbers According to the SPSA's Vice President of Operations Steve Roberts, several fires have merged. Such is the case with the Wolf, Club and Pelican2 Fires near Creighton and the Ditch02 and Shoe Fires north of Prince Albert. Roberts says that the agency will continue referring to several of the fires by their current names due to the fact that the crews managing them are in seperate regions of the province. 'In some cases where the fires have merged, we've actually turned them into one fire, such as the Shoe Fire,' he explained. 'But there's others ... such as the Ditch Fire and the Shoe Fire that we do not want to merge together because of logistical reasons ... so we've kept them separate, even though their borders touch at some point.' Shoe Fire Remaining the largest blaze in the province, the Shoe Fire has surpassed an estimated 500,000 hectares. Highways 912 and 913 have remained closed due to the blaze. About 22 millimetres of rain fell on parts of the Shoe Fire over the weekend, which aided firefighting efforts. JaySmith Fire The JaySmith Fire has grown to 139,000 hectares, No highways are currently affected. Ditch02 Fire Highway 969 remains closed due to the Ditch Fire, which has grown to 153,000 hectares. The village of Weyakwin, originally evacuated due to the Ditch Fire, is now seeing residents return. Pisew Fire The Pisew Fire, which has threatened the La Ronge area, is currently estimated at 181,000 hectares. Highway 2 north and Highway 102 north near La Ronge have been intermittently closed. Wolf Fire The Wolf Fire, located west of Denare Beach, is estimated to cover 130,000 hectares. Highway 167, 106 and the Highway 135 junction are closed due to the flames. Pelican2 Fire The Pelican2 Fire, located north of Pelican Narrows, is estimated to be 34,000 hectares. Access to Highway 135 has been restored - and residents are in the process of returning. Club Fire Located over the Saskatchewan and Manitoba border near Creighton and Flin Flon, 17,000 hectares fall within Saskatchewan. The fire totals 60,000 hectares.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Province to move forward with women's unit at Regina Provincial Correctional Centre
As part of the province's goal to address capacity challenges and enhance correctional infrastructure, a new women's unit will be developed at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre. As highlighted in the 2025-26 provincial budget, funding was allocated to improve safety for correctional staff, offenders, and the public, including supporting the capacity expansion for women in the correctional system. 'This new facility will make a real difference, not just by helping relieve pressure on our correctional system but also by allowing for more space, better programming and stronger supports for women in custody,' Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said in a news release from the province. The Ministry of SaskBuilds and Procurement will be obtaining consulting services to support the development of the women's unit by helping to oversee the planning, design, and construction of the project. 'This is a critical step in ensuring our correctional facilities meet the evolving needs of our communities,' SaskBuilds and Procurement Minister David Marit said in the release. According to the province, the project is in the early planning phase and more details will be announced as it progresses.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
‘Don't leave help sitting on the table': Sask. reaches out for federal wildfire support
WATCH: As some residents are being cleared to return home after wildfires threatened their communities, the province is looking for federal support. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual After repeated calls for the province to seek military support from Ottawa to aid with wildfires — the provincial government says it's seeking federal help and expects to hear back soon. This news comes as the opposition and some evacuees demand better support all around. 'When lives and homes are on the line, you don't leave help sitting on the table,' NDP MLA Jordan McPhail said at a news conference Monday morning. He's referring to federal help, particularly military help, and why it hasn't been brought in for over a week now. That inquiry may have been answered, in part, by the provincial justice minister Monday afternoon. 'We have indeed identified ways that we believe the federal government can support our efforts, 'Tim McLeod told CTV News. The province isn't asking for federal support with firefighting, but with getting evacuees back home and dealing with the aftermath of the fires. 'We have made a request to the federal government to provide two base camps to support our crews and have also made a request for tents for sheltering up to 200 people,' he said. The government will not confirm if this is the military aid which has been talked about by the NDP opposition and others. Meanwhile, some evacuees joined the NDP in Saskatoon Monday to express their frustration over the system to get aid to those who need it. Kari Lentowicz from Denare Beach lost her entire home to fire. She says she hasn't received any financial aid yet and doesn't know why the system is so delayed. Denare Beach wildfire The remains of Kari Lentowicz' home in Denare Beach, after it was destroyed in a wildfire. (Courtesy: Kari Lentowicz) 'I am very thankful for what I have, or and what I did have and don't have any more,' she said. This evacuee is trying to remain positive during a devastating time. She's staying with a friend in Saskatoon and knows others don't have that luxury and would like the support handled better. 'I can still feed myself, I bought some clothes the other day, even though I had a breakdown in the store. I am fortunate that I've got a place to lay my head at night that isn't an evac centre,' she says. Denare Beach wildfire Kari Lentowicz' home in Denare Beach, before the wildfire. (Courtesy: Kari Lentowicz) Resident Trevor Miller is from Flin Flon, just on the other side of the border and he already got $900 in aid e-transferred from the Manitoba government. 'We can see next door what could have been done, what should have been done, but wasn't, just wasn't,' Miller said. McLeod says residents needing support should call the SPSA or Red Cross. Those residents CTV News spoke to say they have called all the numbers, and are still waiting.
Global News
3 days ago
- General
- Global News
Sask. ombudsman set to criticize government's ‘lack of response' to wildfire evacuees
Saskatchewan's provincial government is facing increased criticism over its handling of evacuees from wildfires raging in the province's northern half. More than 11,000 evacuees are registered with the Canadian Red Cross and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) from 33 communities, and complaints are rising over a lack of financial support. In a briefing Monday, Saskatchewan Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said, 'No evacuees should be turned away from the supports they need,' while pointing to the provincial hotline number for evacuee information, 1-855-559-5502. 'Everybody's doing their level best to make sure that people are directed where they should be directed and get the resources that they need.' Saskatchewan's ombudsman is set to comment on Tuesday about what she calls the Government of Saskatchewan's 'lack of response to the needs of Northern Saskatchewan residents affected by wildfire.' Story continues below advertisement It follows days of criticism from the opposition NDP over evacuees not receiving timely payments to help with hotel or food costs while they're out of their homes. Evacuees have pointed to their counterparts in Manitoba receiving e-transfers from their government. 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 'People are being treated like babies or toddlers, like the government doesn't trust us to spend the money properly,' said Moira Pinnell Davis, an evacuee from Creighton, Sask. Some evacuees returning home, fires still out of control Several communities were re-opened to start the week as the wildfire threat to their homes dwindled. Residents of Weyakwin, located around 150 kilometres north of Prince Albert, were given the go-ahead over the weekend to return home. The Foran mining site near McIlvenna Bay is also beginning a staged return to work. The community of Pelican Narrows also decided to allow healthy evacuees to return to the community, though the SPSA warned services weren't completely restored to the area. As residents expressed an eagerness to return, Steve Roberts, SPSA's vice-president of operations, said there were many factors to consider before going home. 'It's been unoccupied for a number of weeks,' Roberts said of the Pelican Narrows area. 'Something to clarify and ask your community leads on (is), 'Is this set up? Can I get this? Can I do this? Should I be bringing back groceries to cover me for one week?'' Story continues below advertisement As of Tuesday morning, the SPSA website indicated 24 actively burning wildfires across the province. Six of the fires were classified as out of control, while two were under the 'protecting values' classification, which indicates fire crews are focused on saving infrastructure in the vicinity of the fire. Another 11 are being assessed. The province's largest fire, the Shoe complex fire, was last mapped at 500,281 hectares in size — approximately 22 times the size of Saskatoon.
CBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Why hasn't Sask. called for military help? The province says it needs wildfire expertise
Social Sharing At nearly every one of their daily wildfire media briefings, Saskatchewan officials are asked why they haven't called on the military for support. Right next door in Manitoba, late last month, military helicopters airlifted residents from remote communities. And year after year, the Canadian Armed Forces respond to natural disasters under a program called Operation LENTUS. In the last two years alone, that has included sending in Type 3 firefighters to Alberta, B.C. and Nova Scotia, when requested. But this year, despite facing one of its earliest, most aggressive fire seasons, Saskatchewan has not asked the federal government for the military's help to fight the fires. : Evacuees share concerns, frustration over province's response to wildfires 9 hours ago Duration 2:20 At the latest briefing on Monday, Saskatchewan's Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod was asked, again, why not. "I don't know how else to say it other than, we are asking for what we need and they are offering what they have," McLeod said. Saskatchewan doesn't need airlifts or Type 3 firefighters, he said. Type 3 firefighters are qualified firefighters who support Type 1 (trained wildfire crews) and Type 2 (First Nations and northern community crews) firefighters, and "are normally used on a fire line that is under control or in the mop-up stage," according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) website. McLeod said provincial and federal officials communicate daily, and on Monday the province did make a request to the federal government for two base camps and tents for sheltering up to 200 people, to be used for when crews are rebuilding communities. Saskatchewan has asked for help from other jurisdictions with "highly qualified" wildfire crews, SPSA vice-president of operations Steve Roberts has said. "From an operational point of view and a qualified, experienced individual who knows how to fight fire, our best bet for Saskatchewan is to bring them in from our neighbouring wildfire agencies like British Columbia, like Oregon, like Alaska, and that's why we have not brought [the military] in to date," he said last week. WATCH | Why Sask. says it's not calling in the military to help fight fires: Why Sask. says it's not calling in the military to help fight fires 7 days ago Duration 0:53 The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says importing highly-trained firefighting resources from other provinces, territories and the United States is better than calling on the Canadian Armed Forces. Those answers are not satisfying some residents who watched wildfires threaten their communities during the last few weeks. Sheri Parr's husband is a volunteer firefighter in Creighton, Sask. She said he and his crew are absolutely exhausted after sleeping on dirt roads and concrete floors while they protect their community, with "zero government support" from the start. Town councillors stayed behind to take care of the firefighters while local businesses made sure they had necessities, Parr said, and community members reached out to offer their pumps, hoses, generators and vehicles. "Where was the government support during all of this? We should have called in the military and I don't understand why we wouldn't take the offer of more help," she said at a news conference held by the Opposition NDP on Monday. "I want this government to take seriously the help that these people need to be ready, if the wind shifts or more fires occur." Saskatchewan's sole Liberal MP, Buckley Belanger, said he thinks the military could provide a lot of extra resources, if asked. He said Prime Minister Mark Carney has convened several emergency meetings and has been ready to help. "He was very, very concerned and wanted to see what we were doing as a government," Belanger told CBC Radio's The 306 host Candice Lipski on Monday. Jordan McPhail, NDP MLA for the northeastern riding of Cumberland, said the province should ask for help from the federal government, like it did in 2015. That year, about 850 members of the armed forces supported firefighting efforts in the northern part of the province. "That support is available again now. The federal government has made that very clear. But instead of picking up the phone, [Premier] Scott Moe dismissed the idea," McPhail said. "When lives and homes are on the line, you don't leave help sitting on the table. You don't leave exhausted firefighters and aid workers or the evacuees … without the support that they need. That is just simply not leadership." WATCH | Sask. wildfire evacuee watched home burn in real time on security cameras: Sask. wildfire evacuee watched home burn in real time on security cameras 5 days ago Duration 8:54 Cyndi Pedwell, who evacuated Denare Beach, Sask., and lost her home to the flames, says the wildfire devastated the bottom half of her community. Pedwell says that officials didn't act fast enough, adding 'I feel like we were neglected.'
