Question Period (28 October 2025)

From Hansard (28 October 2025)

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Government Response to Wildfires in the North

Jordan McPhail: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad that the Premier is now on day two of trying to reconcile with the people of the North, but we’ve been there since the very beginning.

Mr. Speaker, today I’m joined again by my constituents. This summer was the scariest moment of a lifetime for so many people in the North. So many lost their homes, their businesses, their communities. After months of devastation and families stranded without support, the Premier finally apologized for the Sask Party government’s failure to show up for the people of the North this wildfire season.

To the minister responsible for the wildfire response: why did he not join the Premier yesterday in apologizing to the people of the North?

Hon. Tim McLeod: — Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I also want to extend my warm welcome to the folks from Denare Beach who have once again joined us here today. We had an excellent conversation with these folks yesterday, together with the Premier. I’ve met with them in Denare Beach when I travelled there on three occasions this summer. I met with some of them; I suppose some this was the first time, but I met with the community leadership when we were there, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we all deeply sympathize with the families of Denare Beach and across Saskatchewan who have suffered losses as a result of these tragic and unprecedented forest fires, Mr. Speaker. And that’s why our government has stepped in with unprecedented investments and supports to walk alongside these families and these communities to make sure that we are there every step of the way as they rebuild, and they have the confidence in their communities and in their government that moving forward we will be right there with them, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Jordan McPhail: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The folks here today and the folks in the North don’t need their sympathy. They need this minister to be accountable for his actions this summer.

Mr. Speaker, the North was not supported. Some people still haven’t seen a single dime of financial support from the government. Half of the water bomber fleet remained grounded this entire wildfire season. Help and resources from the federal government were denied until it was too late. And then the people of the North saw on Facebook that the Premier and the Sask Party government were hosting a partisan golf fundraiser near communities devastated by wildfires. The Premier had not visited the North before then.

What does the minister have to say to the people of the North for those actions?

Hon. Tim McLeod: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the question because the people of the North deserve to have the facts about what happened this summer, Mr. Speaker. Yes, there was tragic and unprecedented loss, but for the member opposite to suggest that the government hasn’t invested anything in those communities and not put any dollars towards that is absolutely untrue, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, $30 million in recovery supports for the families who have lost their homes. Mr. Speaker, $10 million allocated in financial support for evacuees, $22 million for shelter and food insecurity and supports. Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has talked a lot about grounded airplanes, Mr. Speaker. The fact of the matter is the SPSA [Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency] repairs their planes during the off-season. They knew that some of these planes required parts that were not available, Mr. Speaker. They’re waiting for parts. We can’t send a twin-engine up in the air, Mr. Speaker, when it only has one propeller.

So yes, there were planes that were not available. However the SPSA knew that, so they had procured other planes from other jurisdictions through our contracts. So every plane that was accounted for on the ground was represented by another plane that was on loan from another jurisdiction. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jordan McPhail: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess after that answer the only thing that I can confirm for this House is that I’ve seen thicker spines on audiobooks.

Speaker Goudy: — I’m going to ask the member to apologize and withdraw his comments.

Jordan McPhail: — I apologize and withdraw, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, that Premier and that minister failed to do their jobs. They failed the North. The people of the North are tired of being forgotten by this tired and out-of-touch Sask Party government which has failed them over and over this summer and really over the past 18 years. The North deserves answers. This must never happen again.

Will the minister support a fully transparent independent and public inquiry into this terrible wildfire season?

Hon. Tim McLeod: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just yesterday we announced that Meyers Norris Penny was awarded the contract to do a fulsome review of the entire fire season. That includes the fire response. It includes the fire response, Mr. Speaker. It includes evacuation supports, and it includes the recovery efforts, all of which the Premier and myself have touched on in our previous answers, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it will also show the history of the fire, which my friend across the aisle is not representing to the people of Saskatchewan with fact. Mr. Speaker, he has indicated that there was no response to the Wolf fire for days, for weeks. And that’s not accurate, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Wolf fire was discovered on May 19th, 32 kilometres west of Denare Beach, and it was caused by a lightning strike. Mr. Speaker, the SPSA responded with two air tankers, helicopters, and ground crews the following day. That fire was attacked continually. And it’s important, I think, for the people of Saskatchewan to understand, Mr. Speaker, that extremely dry conditions and sustained winds turned that fire into a rank 6 fire, which is the highest ranking fire. We’re talking about a 100-foot wall of fire pushed by winds, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

 

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