Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is scheduled to speak to reporters at 10 a.m. in Saskatoon – after the province’s ombudsman announced she will be reviewing how the province has supported wildfire evacuees.
Saskatchewan ombudsman Sharon Pratchler says her office will be conducting a “systemic investigation” after receiving a surge of complaints and calls for assistance from evacuees in the wake of the northern wildfires.
Pratchler says evacuees have reported waiting days for responses from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) – with many also saying they’ve encountered trouble finding evacuation information, lodging and financial support.
SPSA President Marlo Pritchard says his organization is aware of the backlog in supports. In response to this, he says 14 more SPSA employees have been assigned to staff the organization’s 1-855-559-5502 help line.
“We are doing our best. We have brought in extra resources to deal with that backlog, and we are going to get those resources out the door as quickly and effectively as possible,” he told reporters Tuesday.
The SPSA is directly supporting approximately 860 evacuees – while the Canadian Red Cross is assisting 9,160.
According to Pritchard, financial compensation for evacuees will be retroactive to their evacuation date.
There are 23 active wildfires in Saskatchewan. Six are considered not contained.
There have been 257 wildfires so far this fire season – up from the five-year average of 146.
Colder temperatures and lower winds have assisted firefighting efforts across the province. Effective Tuesday, areas north of the Churchill River that received significant rainfall will be removed from the provincial fire ban.
