Ministry of Social Services welcomes Wildfire Task Force feedback
Indigenous leaders and lobbyists are looking to change the way evacuations are handled in their communities.
Late last week, Prince Albert Grand Council’s Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte, called the evacuation procedure implemented during wildfires stressful for Elders. He also said the idea of evacuation is a new concept to Indigenous communities.
In the wildfire of 2017, nearly 90 percent of Pelican Narrows’ population was evacuated. In previous years, the communities of Lac La Ronge, Hatchet Lake, Fond du Lac, Montreal Lake, and communities within the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation have all been affected by wildfire in one way or another.
While Wildfire Management handles a lot of the work in terms of managing and suppressing fires, the Ministry of Social Services handles emergency procedures like evacuation. It seems the ministry is open to taking suggestions from the Grand Council’s wildfire task force.