SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan NDP continued to hammer the government’s alleged mishandling of the northern wildfires and evacuation of residents of communities affected by the disaster.
NDP Deputy Leader and Saskatoon Fairview MLA Vicki Mowat demanded that Premier Scott Moe provide answers on what she said are serious failures in their wildfire response, especially the issue with the provincial government’s brand new water bombers.
Mowat said the brand new Conair water bomber, which the government promoted as a significant addition to the province’s firefighting response, was not used as the wildfires spread and ravaged Northern Saskatchewan communities.
“Yet Premier Moe told the public twice on June 6 and June 11 that the aircraft hadn't even arrived in the province. That was false. It appears that the Premier flat-out lied,” said Mowat during a media availability on Tuesday, June 17, outside the Cosmo Civic Centre.
“The people of Saskatchewan deserve accountability. They deserve to know whether the Premier knowingly lied to the public or if he was simply asleep at the wheel during a provincial state of emergency. Frankly, neither answer is acceptable.”
She added that Saskatchewan residents, especially the thousands who were forced to evacuate, need to know the truth, and Moe and his government must face reporters and come clean to answer the allegations.
Mowat also demanded that the Saskatchewan Party-led government release all briefing materials provided to Moe and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod, related to the air tanker fleet, since the public deserves to know who knew and why it was not used.
“This is about trust, and this is about public safety. Saskatchewan people should not be kept in the dark about this grounded water bomber. Either the Sask. Party deliberately misled the public, or the Premier and his ministers weren’t paying attention to critical emergency files. Frankly, neither is acceptable,” said Mowat
Saskatoon Westview MLA April ChiefCalf, who was among the evacuees of the 2015 La Ronge fires, said that the issue is a serious concern for all affected families who endured the trauma of the evacuation. She said that she visited the northern communities this weekend.
“If those water bombers had been in the air, things could have turned out differently for so many families. I visited communities like Sucker River, where 15 homes have been destroyed,” said ChiefCalf.
“That community is a 15-minute drive from where this bomber sat unused at La Ronge Airport. This isn’t just about water bombers. It’s about whether families in this province can trust their government in a crisis.”
