A northern Saskatchewan MLA is raising his concerns as some wildfire evacuees are being housed in Alberta.
Hundreds of people from Canoe Lake Cree Nation had to be evacuated to various communities in that province.
Athabasca MLA Leroy Laliberte spoke with MBC Radio News where he took exception to this process.
The Saskatchewan government provided a response to MBC Radio News on the matter:
Earlier today, the Leader of the Opposition, Carla Beck, via her post on X (formerly Twitter), referenced and criticized the evacuation efforts of Canoe Lake Cree First Nation, which is managed by Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC). MLTC, like the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), attempts to locate evacuees to the nearest communities where accommodations such as hotels are available. Unfortunately, hotels rooms may be sold-out in these communities, requiring evacuees to be located to other communities further away. Notably, Saskatchewan has accommodated evacuees from its neighbouring provinces in the past, including Manitoba this wildfire season.
We understand the challenges faced by evacuees and organizations like MLTC facilitating these evacuation efforts and commend them for their ongoing work.
The continuing hyper-politicization of these devastating wildfires by the NDP is disappointing, but not surprising. Unlike the lost and reckless NDP who criticize the operational decisions of MLTC, we deeply appreciate the support MLTC has provided for impacted communities during this wildfire season. We are also thankful for communities across Saskatchewan and Alberta for hosting evacuees.