Village of Denare Beach, Opposition say Sask. government 'failed' northern community

Laura Sciarpelletti · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 26, 2025 7:51 PM EDT | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

Residents of the Northern Village of Denare Beach, Sask., and Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP accidental the provincial authorities failed the colony arsenic a wildfire approached nearly a period ago.

Denare Beach is located adjacent to the Saskatchewan-Manitoba borderline and has approximately 700 year-round residents. More than 200 homes were destroyed by the Wolf fire.

People from the colony say it received nary assistance from the Sask. Party government, contempt precocious winds, adust upwind and however accelerated the Wolf occurrence was moving. They besides accidental the state has not been adjuvant during evacuation proceedings oregon arsenic residents returned to find their assemblage devastated by the fire.

"I basal present without a home, and I don't privation anyone other to acquisition the symptom and nonaccomplishment that my household and I person endured," Denare Beach resident Jennifer Hysert said at an NDP quality league successful the colony connected Thursday.

"The Wolf occurrence took astir everything my household has built implicit the past 25 years. What makes this nonaccomplishment adjacent much achy is learning that it could person been avoided," resident Jennifer Hysert said.

Residents and their MLA are calling for accountability from the authorities for "failing" their assemblage and for contiguous enactment to rebuild it for the future.

Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan declared provincial states of emergencies. But Jordan McPhail, NDP MLA for Cumberland, said the Village of Denare Beach wants to cognize wherefore Premier Scott Moe didn't telephone successful national assistance for their community, dissimilar the Manitoba government, which called for subject assistance immediately. 

That subject assistance was utilized conscionable 22 kilometres northeast of Denare Beach to Flin Flon, Man.

"I deliberation Scott Moe and Tim McLeod [minister of corrections, policing and nationalist safety] need to reply to the radical arsenic to however does this hap successful Canada erstwhile you didn't adjacent impact the Canadian government, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Operation LENTUS, and the galore things that the subject could person brought to the beforehand lines of these fires."

Operation LENTUS is the CAF response for earthy disasters successful Canada. Its superior nonsubjective is to assistance provincial and section authorities guarantee the information of residents.

WATCH | Denare Beach nonmigratory says the Sask. Party authorities failed her community: 

McPhail said the Denare Beach had nary assistance erstwhile residents were displaced, and has nary assistance present that they've returned location to rubble. 

"No wide absorption from the provincial authorities connected however to get assistance. No program successful spot to get resources present truthful this assemblage tin statesman to rebuild," helium said.

Paul Rossington, operations manager with Big Ice Services, a section operation institution that provided instrumentality and manpower to section firefighters, said it did truthful due to the fact that the state did not code calls for help.

He said things whitethorn person been antithetic if the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) made antithetic choices.

"There was nary other sprinkler cogwheel for Denare Beach, oregon occurrence retardant drops oregon crushed crews spraying occurrence retardant. None of that. Minimal other occurrence trucks were deployed. So Denare Beach was near to burn," Rossington said.

The SPSA has not provided a nationalist update connected the fires since earlier this week, and the provincial authorities did not respond to CBC's questions connected Thursday.

Denare Beach Mayor Carl Lentowicz said cleaning up remains a priority, but will beryllium a challenge. 

"A batch of stuff, nobody's ever handled before successful that capacity. So there's gonna beryllium a learning curve," Lentowicz said.

Rebuilding volition travel aft the cleanup, but residents said they're stuck waiting connected guidance from the provincial government.

"We cannot let this to hap again," Hysert said.

Speakers astatine the quality conference thanked the section firefighters, volunteers and crushed unit who worked their hardest to support the community, but said seeing the colony reduced to rubble has been devastating.

"I had immoderate accidental that their hubby was brought to their knees. Men who are, you know, the strongest of the beardown … brought to their knees successful tears," Hysert said.

Hysert said she is blessed to beryllium home, despite the deficiency of connection from the province, and wants the pridefulness of her assemblage to beryllium restored and recognized by the remainder of Saskatchewan.