Cosmo Civic Centre in Saskatoon housing wildfire evacuees

The Saskatchewan NDP says there needs to be a better plan to house evacuees of the devastating wildfires in the province’s north.

Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency estimated in their daily briefing on Tuesday that upwards of 15,000 people have evacuated after being displaced from 20 communities.

April ChiefCalf, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Housing says, “I am hearing widespread reports of people being turned away from hotels in Prince Albert and Saskatoon.”

She says they need to know there will be a roof over their heads every night during this crisis, and they won’t be moved around further adding to their stress. She notes the evacuees don’t know when they will be able to return home and, in some cases, whether they will have a home to return to at all.

In an NDP news release, describing the situation as confusing and scary, La Ronge Evacuee Viviana Ruiz Arcand said, “People need a place to sleep, food to eat and money for gas now. We need to help people now.”