Saskatchewan NDP calls for public inquiry into government wildfire response – Saskatoon

The provincial opposition party says it wants a formal investigation into the provincial government's handling of the wildfires after fires burned through nearly three million hectares of forest and burned hundreds of homes last summer.

Northern affairs critic and MLA Jordan McPhail says he wants an independent judge to lead an inquiry into the response to the bushfires, which he calls a “monumental failure”.

He hopes that public inquiry will develop recommendations to possibly prevent another crisis of similar magnitude in the future.

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The NDP plans to call for an investigation as soon as the next legislative session begins next week. They also hope to learn more about why the government withheld federal aid at the height of the evacuation.

Meanwhile, the provincial government says it is commissioning an independent organization to conduct an impact review on its public safety agency, announcing today that it is no longer accepting applications to participate in the review.

The government says it intends to announce a third party review soon and that its focus will be on the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) response, evacuation and recovery aspects of the wildfire season.

Forest Saskatchewan CEO Carl Neggers says the province should focus on taking proactive measures in the next wildfire season to protect the forest industry and communities hit hardest by last summer's fires.

“We'll continue to go backwards. Future seasons will look harsher and harsher,” he says.