The Weyburn Police Service says the majority of calls involving wildfire evacuees from northern Saskatchewan have been manageable, with many incidents stemming from high stress and difficult living situations.
Deputy Police Chief Shane St. John said officers have responded to a small number of calls related to social issues, including overdoses and interpersonal incidents, as evacuees have been temporarily housed in Weyburn due to wildfires threatening their home communities.
“These people have been through a lot,” said St. John. “They’ve lost their homes, they’ve been taken out of their homes for a long period of time. With that, they have some social issues, some addictions come with that as well.”
He noted that the Weyburn Police have been working closely with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, Saskatchewan Health Authority, and the City of Weyburn to provide support. Despite some comments on social media questioning the impact on local resources, St. John emphasized the importance of offering a safe space during a traumatic time.
“We’re more than happy to help,” he said. “It does take up some resources, but it’s a unique situation, and I’m glad we could assist with having these people have a safe place to go until they can go home.”
Some evacuees may be returning to their communities soon, depending on the fire risk, but others have lost their homes entirely. St. John said long-term plans for those individuals are still being developed.
Overall, the Deputy Chief praised the response from all agencies involved.
“It’s been a great partnership with them, and the City of Weyburn as well; they’ve done a great job,” St. John said. “Just doing everything we can to make them as comfortable as possible and get through this challenging time for them.”