BEAUVAL — Northern leaders, emergency officials and residents are working to strengthen wildfire preparedness following a community meeting focused on lessons learned from last summer’s devastating fire season.
About 60 people attended the March 16 meeting in Beauval, including representatives from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), municipal leaders, provincial leaders, Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN-S), First Nations leaders, local residents, retired emergency personnel and federal MP Buckley Belanger.
Brennan Merasty, a representative with MN-S, said in an interview with SaskToday that the discussion was solution-focused and centred on improving response efforts as wildfire risks continue to grow.
“We have experienced changes in weather patterns in recent years, and we need to be paying attention and be proactive rather than reactive in how we fight fires,” Merasty said.
A key concern raised during the meeting was communication during last summer’s evacuations.
“There were gaps when it came to communicating with community members,” Merasty said. “There was a lot of chaos — people didn’t know where to go, some didn’t want to take buses and preferred to use their own vehicles.”
Jurisdictional challenges also emerged as a major issue. Once wildfires reached municipal boundaries, local fire departments became responsible for protecting structures — often without adequate staffing, equipment or volunteer support, he said.
“There needs to be clearer communication about who is in charge,” Merasty said, noting that multiple agencies responding to fires created confusion in some communities.
Participants also discussed misunderstandings around wildfire management strategies, including the so-called “let it burn” approach, and the broader impacts fires have on ecosystems, wildlife and northern ways of life.
Concerns were also raised about delays and inaccuracies in wildfire detection technology, including camera-equipped monitoring towers.
Despite the challenges, Merasty said the meeting was focused on solutions, with SPSA representatives were present to listen and improve future response efforts.
“They were open and supportive in making sure we build a better response going forward,” he said.
Suggestions included expanding firefighter training — particularly Level 3 certification — increasing equipment and resources, creating more fire breaks and improving communication systems. Prevention was also highlighted, as many fires were believed to be human-caused.
Merasty said MN-S will continue discussions with the province to strengthen preparedness ahead of the 2026 wildfire season.
“Working together increases our capacity, our resources and our ability to care for the North in meaningful ways,” he said in a social media post following the meeting.
Belanger echoed the importance of collaboration and learning from past experiences.
“Last summer, Saskatchewan faced one of the toughest wildfire seasons in our history,” he said. “This was a chance for people to share what worked, what didn’t and how we can be better prepared next time.”
He added that northern communities remain resilient and that strengthening partnerships between governments and first responders will be key to keeping residents safe.
Merasty emphasized that collaboration across jurisdictions — including municipalities, Métis and First Nations — will be critical moving forward.
“When we work together and respect each other’s roles, we are better prepared to protect our people, our lands and our future,” he said.
