Saskatchewan’s ombudsman says the province failed to respond in a timely fashion to many wildfire evacuees last summer.
The finding comes in an annual report, which says the lack of speed left some without supports to buy food or get shelter.
The report says the ombudsman received over 380 complaints about the fire response, a significant increase from the previous year.
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It cites a case involving a mother with an autistic child who was running out of money to buy groceries during an evacuation.
It also says some Saskatchewan residents were forced to flee to Manitoba but weren’t able to get supports in the neighbouring province.
At their peak, wildfires last year forced more than 10,000 Saskatchewan residents out of their homes.
Ombudsman Sharon Pratchler had said she was going to do a separate investigation into the province’s fire response. But the report says she’s no longer doing so because Saskatchewan is conducting a third-party review.
“In a crisis, timeliness of response equates to safety for those who are displaced from their homes and community,” says the report, released Thursday.
“Delays and bottlenecks in process can amplify or intensify the impact of a traumatic event.”
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