Saskatchewan’s Provincial Auditor is calling for major improvements to the province’s wildfire preparedness and response in this year’s auditor’s report.
The report found several concerns with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.
These include that the SPSA has not determined the optimal mix of firefighters, aircraft and equipment needed before each wildfire season, leading to increased reliance on costly contracted resources.
In 2025, the agency spent approximately $26.3 million on contracted personnel and equipment, compared to $1.9 million the previous year.
Provincial Auditor Tara Clemett said the agency needs to better evaluate costs and track when contracted resources are requested and received.
The audit found contracted personnel took an average of 15 days to arrive and deploy to fires in 2025.
The report also found wildfire response budgets have underestimated costs by more than $70 million annually since 2023.
During the 2025 wildfire season, Saskatchewan recorded 510 wildfires that burned roughly three million hectares and cost more than $350 million to fight.
Auditors are recommending the agency develop long-term resource plans, improve budgeting, monitor wildfire suppression success rates and ensure high-risk communities have preparedness plans in place.
The audit also found 21 of 89 northern communities identified as being at higher wildfire risk have not completed a wildfire preparedness plan.
The report makes 11 recommendations aimed at improving wildfire readiness, controlling costs and strengthening Saskatchewan’s ability to respond to increasingly severe fire seasons.
The full report from the provincial auditor including audits of several provincial government sectors is available here – 2026 Report V1 Main Points Summaries
The auditor’s report comes just weeks after an independent report found several issues with the SPSA’s response to last year’s wildfire season.