SASKATOON — Sherri Parr joined her fellow evacuees in calling for an all-hands-on-deck approach to Saskatchewan’s northern wildfires, saying the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) should be assisting provincial firefighters and Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) personnel on the front lines.
Parr, who evacuated from Creighton near Flin Flon, said the province should request help from the CAF to support volunteer firefighters, like her husband, and other crews who have been working around the clock to protect their communities.
She joined nearly 20 other evacuees and Cumberland MLA Jordan McPhail, the Opposition's shadow minister for Northern Affairs and Forestry, at a media event on Monday outside the Saskatchewan cabinet office in Saskatoon. Together, they urged the provincial government to formally request federal military assistance, similar to what has already been done in northern Ontario.
Monday afternoon, the province confirmed that federal government aid has been requested. Tim McLeod, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, provided an update during a media briefing, saying the provincial government asked for two base camp to support firefighting crews and tents for up to 200 people. In addition, he said they continue to be in daily contact with the federal government.
In an earlier statement, the provincial government said the SPSA is aware of the CAF’s capabilities, such as airlifting residents during mass evacuations, but has not yet considered requesting that kind of help since it hasn't been required yet. The agency also said they remain in contact with Public Safety Canada.
Parr said that as of Monday morning, her husband’s entire fire crew has received no government support since day one, sleeping on dirt roads, concrete floors and lawn chairs in fire halls. She believes the military could provide badly needed logistical help.
“I don't think it matters about the skill level. The fact that I'm getting pictures of my husband sleeping on his turnout gear on a concrete floor ... It's boots on the ground. The hands, filling up fuel tanks, being able to operate a hose, being able to shovel, and helping with the evacuation itself,” she said. “Seven thousand people coming out of Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare [Beach].
“There was no guidance. Gas stations closed as soon as the word went out that we were being evacuated. We had one gas station that stayed open long enough to fuel people up and get them out of town. It took us seven hours to complete a four-hour trip, because there were so many people on the highway. So, I don't think it's a matter of skill. It's a matter of needing hands on deck.”
Parr added that her entire community pulled together. Town council members stayed behind to cook for firefighters, and local businesses and residents donated food, equipment and supplies to help those protecting their town.
“Community members reached out permitting to take hoses, pumps, generators and vehicles. And 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. I want this government to take seriously the help that these people need,” she said.
“To be ready if the winds shift or more fires occur. We've already lost approximately 300 homes in Denare Beach, which is devastating to a small community. We can't lose Creighton, too, or so many other communities in the north. I hope that Scott Moe is listening to this and that he will take these words seriously.”
McPhail, whose constituency includes Creighton, thanked firefighters, emergency responders, First Nations leaders and all evacuees who stepped up to help one another when, he said, the provincial government did not.
He said the CAF has already offered support and could deploy personnel within 24 hours.
“I think it's downright shameful. We hear it from people here today. We've been hearing it all week. Our team is listening to the people behind me. Scott Moe is not. There's been a clear need for more resources on the front lines of this fire,” said McPhail, joined by Opposition MLAs April ChiefCalf, Tajinder Grewal, Matt Love and Darcy Warrington.
“I would suggest that the premier pull out his phone, go to Google and ask: What can the CAF do to fight fire? He doesn't have to go much further than that, and you'll have a very long list of what the CAF can offer here in Saskatchewan and in the communities represented by the folks behind me, who, myself included, have been displaced too.”
McPhail added that it’s time for the premier to act by listening to evacuees and first responders, and to accept federal help for the firefighting effort in northern Saskatchewan.
PCP leader joins call for more action
Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan Leader Rose Buscholl also criticized the government in a separate statement, questioning why the Saskatchewan Party-led administration allowed the wildfire situation to escalate.
“For the life of me, I cannot see what the hold-up was. There had to be a point in time before a state of emergency was declared at which the provincial government had to have known that the situation was already larger than what our resources could handle. So why wait so long to act?” said Buscholl.
“Had the government acted sooner, declared a state of emergency earlier and asked for federal assistance, we wouldn’t be witnessing this now. This shows how Scott Moe and the Sask. Party put politics before people. This whole situation shows how out of touch and arrogant this government has become.”
Buscholl accused the province of prioritizing donors over citizens, noting evacuations in northeast Saskatchewan began even before the state of emergency was declared on May 29 – 21 days after the first evacuation.
