Jordan McPhail
MLA Report
The wildfire season has been devastating to the North. More than 300 permanent residents destroyed, more than 2,000 structures damaged or ruined.
Entire communities like Denare Beach and East Trout Lake turned to ashes. It’s heartbreaking.
But we will endure. The people of the North are strong and I have met with so many people who lost so much in this crisis that are already looking ahead to rebuilding and bringing their communities back to life. They need a government that has their backs.
The Saskatchewan NDP has consulted broadly on plans to recover, rebuild and ensure people are able to live with dignity in the difficult days ahead. From those important discussions, we have released a formal call for the Sask. Party Government to adopt a five-point plan. It calls for:
- Urgently restoring access to healthcare and essential services.
- Medium-term housing for people who lost their homes until they can rebuild.
- Housing for construction workers tasked with rebuilding isolated communities completely destroyed, like Denare Beach and East Trout Lake.
- Proper and fair procedures for demolition and safe disposal of the waste associated with properties destroyed by fire.
- Immediate assistance from Crowns to help with fees and costs of rebuilding utility services like power, phone, and internet lines.
On the latter point, we have written directly to the Minister responsible for SaskPower to ask that he waive utility costs for those who were forced from their homes and businesses. We await his response.
In the days ahead, we will continue to demand further supports for victims and accountability for the widespread failures by the Sask. Party to respond to this crisis. Frankly, a proper plan to rebuild the North should already be developed and in place. People have waited so long to get back to their communities and what so many have found awaiting them is even more confusion and frustration.
The people of the North stood together and have done an incredible job — but the government hasn’t had their backs.
Still, we will endure. My message to the people of Saskatchewan is this — you don’t have to settle for this failure of leadership. You can demand better. You deserve better from a government that’s focused on the future, on rebuilding the North, on protecting it for the future and ensuring such a horrific crisis like this never happens again.
Jordan McPhail is the NDP MLA for Cumberland House.
