Larissa Kurz, Regina Leader-Post
Hundreds of residents are happy to be heading back to Pinehouse after several weeks under the threat of wildfires.
Local authorities lifted a mandatory evacuation order for the northern Saskatchewan village on Thursday, allowing people to begin returning home from Regina and Prince Albert.
Pinehouse is located about 500 kilometres north of Saskatoon.
“Everybody’s smiling in the lobby,” Gary Tinker said Friday as buses were loaded at a Regina hotel where evacuees had been staying.
Tinker, a board member with Kineepik Métis Local #9, was among roughly 900 people from Pinehouse who’d been displaced after the first evacuation alerts were given to priority residents on July 14.
Tinker said the past few weeks have been difficult for many evacuees, especially not knowing the fate of their homes and pets.
Getting the green light to return was a welcome relief.
“A lot of people, I think they were ready to go (home),” he said Friday.
Tinker said reports suggest no significant fire destruction in the village, but there is still anxiety about the state of the community following its evacuation.
“We’re not really sure how it’s gonna impact our thoughts when we get home,” he noted. “It’s like a war zone, you know. It’s like going back to another world.”
While preparing to return, Tinker said people felt their stay in Regina has been largely positive, despite the circumstances.
Families kept busy with planned activities and outings arranged by co-ordinators from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), such as visits to the Saskatchewan Science Centre.
Regina has also been providing free access to city facilities for all wildfire evacuees, including Wascana Pool and the Lawson Aquatic Centre.
Tinker said there were “a few incidents” which caused evacuees to be concerned about their children’s safety. That included strangers allegedly loitering around the hotel to sell drugs, but co-ordinators handled those anxieties promptly.
“SPSA were such a great team, and we had a great team from Pinehouse as well,” Tinker said.
“Some people came in here, said they were from Pinehouse and they tried to get in, but there was a lot of police presence here to protect us.”
Pinehouse residents also put together a community security patrol “to be sure nobody got lost or in trouble” while navigating the city, said Tinker.
“We pulled together, we took care of our children, and made sure the children are safe. Everybody helped each other along the way.”
The Regina Police Service (RPS) confirmed that an individual identified as a “convicted sex offender” had been “near one of the hotels where evacuees were staying” and was asked to leave. No charges were laid, nor where any release conditions breached, said a spokesperson.
In a statement to the Leader-Post, the SPSA said it did ask Regina police to provide an on-site presence beginning July 31. It was described as a “preventative measure” to ensure the evacuees’ safety and not the result of any specific incidents.
Similar police requests were not made in Saskatoon or Prince Albert, where other evacuees have been staying.
The SPSA said it had staffers on site to provide essential supports and “additional core services.”
“Core services include a wide range of areas such as security, mental health, cultural activities, health, recreation and support for elders,” said an emailed SPSA statement.
RPS spokesperson Lindsey Hoemsen said special duty officers were present in a 24-7 capacity to “reduce victimization” and provide support of a “proactive nature” for the last two weeks.
“Evacuees can easily be targeted by those looking to take advantage of their vulnerable state,” said an RPS statement. “We want them to feel safe in an unfamiliar city and do our best to assist in that regard.”
lkurz@postmedia.com
