Saskatchewan ombudsman says government slow in responding to wildfire evacuees

REGINA – The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency failed to respond in a timely fashion to many wildfire evacuees last summer, the province’s ombudsman said Thursday.

The finding comes in an annual report, which says the lack of speed left some without supports to buy food or get shelter. 

“In a crisis, timeliness of response equates to safety for those who are displaced from their homes and community,” says the report.

“Delays and bottlenecks in process can amplify or intensify the impact of a traumatic event.”

The report says the ombudsman received more than 380 complaints about the fire response, a significant increase from the previous year. 

“That was a challenge, just in terms of having so many come in at once,” ombudsman Sharon Pratchler said in an interview. “We had to, on the ground, pivot and do things that we haven’t done before in terms of managing how we respond.” 

Pratchler’s report cites a case involving a mother with an autistic child who was running out of money to buy groceries during an evacuation until she later received help from a local mayor. 

It also says some Saskatchewan residents were forced to flee to Manitoba but weren’t able to get supports in the neighbouring province. In some cases, it took weeks before some received any financial aid.

Pratchler said there were cases of adults, already low on cash, trying to find care homes for their elderly parents. 

“It puts some people already facing a crisis in a real challenging situation,” she said. 

At the peak, wildfires last year forced more than 10,000 Saskatchewan residents out of their homes.

Community Safety Minister Micheal Weger told reporters the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has taken steps to ensure its faster at responding to evacuees next time there’s an emergency. 

“I think they’re working on a process or establishing a process to assist with direct deposit of funds,” Weger said.

The report had recommended the province adopt flexible payment options, such as electronic transfers. It also said the province should hand out prepaid credit cards in times of emergency. 

During last year’s evacuation, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency had provided paper cheques and food vouchers for specific grocery stores. 

Allowing electronic money transfers would be “fantastic,” Pratchler said.

“That would go a long way to dealing with geographical issues,” she said.

The report added the agency should have also provided clear direction on how evacuees can access supports and that it needed to be nimble to respond to those with diverse needs. 

“When urgent support is needed, the process to apply has to be streamlined and as close to one step and one day as possible,” the report says. 

Pratchler had said she was going to do a separate investigation into the province’s fire response. But the report says she’s no longer doing so because Saskatchewan is conducting a third-party review. 

Pratchler said the auditor’s office is also doing a review of the province’s wildfire response.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2026.