Review finds Sask. Public Safety Agency ‘was not fully prepared’ for 2025 wildfire season

The review was critical of the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, which was responsible for co-ordinating the wildfire response across the province.

MNP found the centre’s mandate was confused by the fact the agency was operating a provincial response centre at the same time, “resulting in limited tasking, uneven situational awareness, and inconsistent information flow. These gaps demonstrate that core elements of the province’s emergency management system were not effectively executed.”

The review also found that the agency’s polices were outdated, hard to find and sometimes not followed, “contributing to operating confusion and inconsistent decision-making during the response.”

Issues with the response continued even after the fires were extinguished, the report indicated.

“Recovery similarly emerged as an area for growth: the absence of a clearly articulated provincial recovery strategy created uncertainty for communities and partners as operations transitioned from response to longer term rebuilding and support, contributing to ad hoc and inconsistent recovery efforts,” MNP wrote in its review.

The review included 11 recommendations, including a full review of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s structure, stronger emergency management co-ordination, improved integration and co-ordination between the agency and communities, as well as other government bodies, and better fire behaviour modelling and risk mapping so that resources can be deployed more efficiently.

Other recommendations included better equipment management and recovery, proactive procurement and contracting ahead of the wildfire season, implementing planning and training schedules for workers ahead of the fire season, and to hold “consistent and structured after-action reviews” in order to foster continuous improvement.

According to the provincial government, the review was commissioned in October after a fire season that burned huge tracts of land and destroyed numerous homes and buildings.

“The 2025 wildfire season was the worst in Saskatchewan’s history, with more than 500 fires burning nearly three million hectares, and over 10,000 people evacuated from more than 50 communities. Through it all, we saw Saskatchewan people come together to support their communities,” Michael Weger, the minister responsible for the SPSA, said in a statement.

“This independent review was developed based on the experiences shared by individuals directly affected by the 2025 wildfire season and provides our government with clear recommendations to ensure that the lessons learned from last year’s wildfire season are actioned to protect Saskatchewan people now and into the future.”

The province said the public safety agency has been directed to implement all 11 recommendations from the review “immediately,” and a special unit has been established to advance and monitor the progress as the recommendations are acted on.

The government said it is also establishing the FireSmart Grant Program, with Wadin Bay set to receive the first $40,000 grant under the program for the costs associated with its fire mitigation efforts.

So far this season, Saskatchewan has seen 111 wildfires, well below the five-year average of 185. By the same point in 2025, the province had already recorded 253 fires.

The full report can be read below.

More to come.

by CKOM

Review finds Sask. Public Safety Agency ‘was not fully prepared’ for 2025 wildfire season

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