One new Saskatchewan First Nation will likely soon be added to the six already in a state of emergency because of spring flooding.
Onion Lake, Cowessess, James Smith, Muscowpetung, Sakimay and Poundmaker are already in a declared state of emergency.
Colin King, with Government Relations, says it is his understanding that Canoe Lake First Nation is also in the process of filling out the paperwork to put an application forward.
“They told us verbally, and that happens sometimes. Often times, a community will say, ‘We are declaring a local emergency’ — and they’re very busy responding to the emergency. It’s just a bit of a paperwork process. And then we say, ‘fair enough’. We acknowledge that and we wait for the forms to come in, which is just the formal process of declaring the emergency.”
King says Canoe Lake is currently experiencing some local water runoff issues affecting roads and, potentially, homes.
Patrick Boyle, with the Water Security Agency, adds there are some flooding issues in the Wollaston Lake area.
“Wollaston Lake, local runoff causing issues and there was a threat to the water treatment plant there,” he says. “We have sent a consultant up there under the emergency flood damage protection program to provide assistance to Wollaston Lake and the engineer is on site today and working with that community.”
King also says ministry of environment wildfire management aircraft assisted local officials on Thunderchild First Nation in responding to a grass fire.