Photo: Denare Beach council / Nicole Goldsworthy, Screenshot of the Village of Denare Beach website
By Nicole Goldsworthy
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
SaskToday.ca
The Denare Beach council says it is extremely disappointed in the province’s decision not to hold a public inquiry into the events leading up to the Wolf Fire, wrecked devastated the northern Saskatchewan community earlier this year.
In a statement released Wednesday, the council said the wildfire not only destroyed property but “devastated the very fabric of our collective well-being.”
“The residents of Denare Beach need assurances that the mistakes made will be acknowledged and that strict planning and oversight will be put in place to protect our community and others from future tragedies,” the statement read.
The council said it will request an immediate meeting with the premier and his ministries to demand what it calls the “appropriate response” — a full public inquiry.
The call comes after Opposition NDP MLA for Cumberland Jordan McPhail attempted to move an emergency motion in the legislature for an independent public inquiry into the province’s wildfire response.
However, the governing Saskatchewan Party refused unanimous consent to bring the motion to the floor under Rule 61, which requires agreement from all members to debate matters of pressing and urgent necessity. The move effectively ended the motion on the spot.
Instead, the province has launched an MNP review of the wildfire response — an internal review that the NDP says falls short of the transparency and accountability a judicial inquiry would provide.