SASKATOON — Dustin Trumbley and his fiancée, Joanne Churchill, were about to begin their lives in northern Saskatchewan, planning their wedding and starting a family in the community of Denare Beach. They joined Opposition MLAs Jordan McPhail and Brittny Senger in a media event on Monday at the Saskatchewan NDP office on 22nd Street West to share their story.
Trumbley said their property — from their home to the three 20-foot boats they use during summer holidays — is among the 400 structures destroyed by the northern wildfires. But for him, the hardest thing to lose was the priceless memories left behind by his grandfather, along with almost five decades of mementos collected by his in-laws.
“It didn't matter if you had fire or gun safes. It was just an incendiary for them, myself included. It bugs me still to this day, I should have gotten more out, but I thought we would have help. I did. After losing everything, I could say, ‘I wish I could have done this. I wish I could have done that.’ I can't take it back,” said Trumbley.
“It's awful. To have everything, to have everything brand new, to have nothing. I even have to borrow a tool from my dad to work on something. It's embarrassing, and it belittles you as a person. When I've had everything, people usually borrowed stuff from me because I've got three of everything, but not anymore. Gone, and the devastation level is just horrific.”
He added there must be accountability from the government, joining other northern Saskatchewan residents who lost everything in the wildfires and are calling for change. Many, he said, were frustrated with the lack of action, shortages of needed resources, and what they view as a system failure in dealing with the disaster.
“We want some accountability from the Premier. That's his job as a leader. I thought he would give some accountability by now, but he hasn't. It's just a cowardly move on his part and his party's. I don't understand,” said Trumbley, who admitted voting for the Saskatchewan Party candidate in the last election — something he said he now regrets.
“In this time of devastation, you need to be there for your people. I'm one of your people. I think that he thinks little of us in the north, but it's a gross feeling. It's disgusting, and nobody's mental health is good right now up there.”
He challenged Moe to meet with the people of northern Saskatchewan, saying the government’s inaction and the apparent unpreparedness of agencies like the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) were unacceptable.
“They just brought those guys in, in my opinion, to get yelled at because they didn't even know what day the fire hit. It makes us feel even lower on the totem pole. He [Moe] needs to show up, take accountability, and explain to us what he's going to do to prevent this in the future, so we have reassurance for next season or this fall or whenever the next wildfire strikes, whenever the next thunderstorm happens. That’s a fair thing to do as a leader,” said Trumbley.
Churchill added, “They even admitted that they did not come prepared. They said we do not have the statistics for this meeting. Then why did you even come? It just erupted. That was the SPSA. That's good to know they got your back when they don't even know what day an entire community was lost.”
Moe is reportedly planning to tour some parts of northern Saskatchewan this week. SaskToday also reached out to the government for additional comments but had not received a reply as of posting time.
Despite what happened, Trumbley said they plan to stay in northern Saskatchewan and rebuild their lives, though it will be costly, cause financial strain, and require them to wait for the insurance assessment. He estimates the insurance coverage of the damages could reach millions of dollars.
He said they received a quote to rebuild their house between $180,000 and $260,000, and their garage at around $170,000 — not including electrical and plumbing work, as contractors would need to stay and live in the north for a month to finish the project.
