Sask. government announces $500 for every adult from evacuated communities
Premier Scott Moe says more support will come as families grapple with devastation from wildfires
Premier Scott Moe has announced a $500 emergency payment for every Saskatchewan resident over the age of 18 from a community evacuated due to the province's escalating wildfire crisis, with a promise of more support to come as evacuees face growing challenges.
The payment is intended to help evacuees cover immediate costs during their time away from home and expenses tied to returning once it's safe to do so.
"These supports will address the voracious fires that are threatening our northern communities," Moe said during a media briefing Wednesday in Saskatoon.
The emergency funds will be distributed through local leadership — including municipalities and First Nations — in a move Moe described as a "partnership with our community leadership."
"It may look slightly different in each community," Moe said. "But this is an investment that will be available very shortly to families through their municipal or tribal leadership."
The funds are part of a broader recovery effort that Moe said includes additional social services, housing support and expanded access to mental health resources for those impacted.
"There are still a lot of moving pieces," he said. "Our focus is to ensure that families and children have the support they require to recover from what has been a tremendously fast-moving and challenging time."
The announcement comes as wildfires continue to displace thousands in northern Saskatchewan, with several communities fully evacuated and others on high alert. Saskatchewan's ombudsman Sharon Pratchler spoke out on Tuesday about a lack of communication and support since the crisis began — something Moe said his government is looking to address.
"There are bottlenecks in the systems, we have to support those families and to support Saskatchewan evacuees," Moe said. "We pushed ourselves and pushed the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and pushed the Government of Saskatchewan to address those concerns."
Beyond the $500 payments, Moe said the province is working with local governments to assess the needs of each community.
"We know that there continues to be more work to do as a government, and more support needed for these Saskatchewan families."
'Written on the back of a napkin': NDP slams Moe
Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says the province has failed the people of northern Saskatchewan.
"There has been so much leadership shown by people across this province, but unfortunately, that same leadership has not been shown by our provincial government," Beck said in a media scrum on Wednesday after Moe's briefing.
Beck said Moe's announcement was a response to the ombudsman's concerns, but it felt rushed.
"It appears that the plan was written on the back of a napkin after the premier rightfully got it handed to him," she said.
Beck said that while the financial assistance of $500 will help some families, the lack of clarity on the plan leaves questions.
"From the details that we heard from the premier, it's possible that you could have a single mom with three kids who gets half of what a a couple gets," Beck said. "There's going to be a lot of confusion."
Beck asked why other provinces like Manitoba are able to offer more for those living with the wildfire crisis.
"What we see in provinces like Manitoba is a very different program where there's a central evacuee list, which we don't seem to have in this province right now," Beck said. "And those who have been evacuated receive direct e-transfer. It's a pretty simple program."
Beck said a lot of issues the province is facing right now could have been prevented if it had just allocated more money in the budget.
"They seem to be very reluctant to plan ahead for issues like this. And unfortunately, we see what happens when a government hasn't planned for an emergency."
'Things are looking good now': SPSA
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) was reporting 23 active wildfires in the province, with only three classified as contained.
Nevertheless, SPSA said it was optimistic about the immediate future, citing wetter weather over the last few days that has slowed the growth of major fires.
"Things are looking good now," SPSA land operation director Bryan Chartrand said on Wednesday. "There's a lot of these fires that are quite large, so there's a lot of perimeter for us to monitor and scan and get crews out on. So it's going to take us some time to continue to do those observations of these fires. It all depends on the weather, whether it's going to get hot and dry."
Chartrand said the next five days have more rainfall in the forecast, along with cooler, cloudier weather.
"We're not out of the woods yet, but this definitely stops the fires from growing and progressing, giving us time to get our staff and resources on those key locations to stop it from heading toward any community or endangering further infrastructure."
Chartrand also said that the break in fighting the fires is allowing for utility companies to begin repairing power and other utility lines.
La Ronge evacuees to begin returning home Thursday
Some people forced from their homes by wildfires in northern Saskatchewan will soon start making their way home, as conditions improve in the La Ronge area.
Officials with the Town of La Ronge and Village of Air Ronge confirmed a mandatory evacuation order will be lifted at 8 a.m. CST Thursday. A roadblock at the south end of the community will remain in place until that time, the officials said in a Tuesday news release.
Evacuation orders for Hall Lake, Sucker River and Stanley Mission will also be rescinded by the Lac La Ronge Indian Band emergency operations centre.
Fast-moving fires in Saskatchewan's north led to an order to evacuate La Ronge, Air Ronge, the Lac La Ronge reserve and everywhere within a 20-kilometre radius on June 2.
A phased return is set to begin, starting with healthy individuals returning in private vehicles, the band said. Full community return is targeted for the weekend of June 14 and 15, depending on available transportation.
Officials say transportation help, such as providing fuel or shuttle buses, is being offered for Lac Lac Ronge Indian Band members who have been evacuated.
Those with private vehicles can contact the Lac La Ronge Indian Band emergency operations centre at 306-420-4901 on Wednesday to register for fuel assistance, the band said.
Some communities, including Stanley Mission, Grandmother's Bay, and Missinipe, will continue to experience scheduled power outages until Saturday due to fire-damaged infrastructure, Lac La Ronge Chief Tammy Cook-Searson said in a post on Facebook Tuesday.
SaskPower is working to restore electricity by Thursday, weather and safety permitting.
"Co-ordination is now underway for a safe, phased return of community members," Cook-Searson said in the Facebook post, thanking the front-line responders, municipalities and neighbouring First Nations "who stepped in when we needed it most."
"Your actions helped save lives and homes," she said.
Bittersweet return: evacuee
Tom Roberts, evacuated from Air Ronge 10 days ago, said the return will be bittersweet.
"We're going home with mixed emotions — happy we're going home. Sad to see the destruction," said Roberts, who has been staying with friends.
He said reading the notice evacuees will be able to return brought a sigh of relief. When the community was evacuated in 2015, it took over a month to get back home, he said.
Roberts, a former CBC radio host who now works at the Lac La Ronge Wellness Centre, said he's preparing to see significant damage in parts of the north.
"I'm going to go see Robertson Trading Post — where I spent over 27 years at a CBC broadcaster — go see that in crumbles. Then I want to go north and have a look at all of the communities," he said.
He said that while some like him sheltered with friends, others spent nights in tents and struggled to access food.
"Thank goodness no lives were lost. And a big congratulations — hats off to all the firefighters," he said.
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