Wildfire evacuees from Denare Beach and Creighton are demanding answers from the Saskatchewan provincial government, claiming it failed to act before the Wolf Fire destroyed more than 400 structures and left many without a home.
At a media event in Saskatoon, evacuees joined Saskatchewan NDP MLA Jordan McPhail to share their stories and frustrations.
“On June 2, my home burned to the ground. It was obliterated. There is nothing left. The dream that I built is gone,” said Kari Lentowicz, a Denare Beach resident.
“It was completely avoidable.”
Lentowicz said the government had four days to act after a state of emergency was declared on May 29 but failed to intervene while the fire was still far from the community.
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“By the time we saw any planes, it was already too late,” said Lentowicz.
Evacuees say support has been slow and insufficient. Many have yet to receive any emergency funds.
“There’s people who haven’t received a dime,” said Lentowicz. “There’s many people who lost jobs, who have small children, and can’t afford to make ends meet, but hey, we get $500. Yay! That doesn’t even cover the cost of three nights (at a) hotel,” she added.
Jordan McPhail is demanding accountability, accusing the province of being unprepared and mismanaging critical emergency resources.
“When I stood up in the house and asked if they were prepared for wildfire season this year, the minister got up and said absolutely,” said McPhail. “He said that while four planes were on the ground, while he knew that there was no trained pilot for the brand new plane that they were going to have delivered.”
Evacuees are calling for a formal apology from Premier Scott Moe, emergency housing and a long-term provincial wildfire response plan.
“We don’t have to settle for this,” said McPhail. “We can demand better. For our families, for our communities, for our future.”
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