The leadership of a Saskatchewan First Nation is calling for immediate action hours after issuing a general evacuation order due to an encroaching wildfire.
Officials with the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation announced the move, saying the Flanagan fire was directly threatening their community of Sandy Bay.
A late Tuesday statement from Chief Peter Beatty and the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) takes aim at the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, suggesting that the provincial entity is not approving the activation of hundreds of First Nations firefighters.
Beatty said not utilizing such an available and qualified resource was a serious oversight that endangers lives and communities.
“There are hundreds of qualified First Nations firefighters ready and willing to assist, but the SPSA has refused to hire them, claiming it is too dangerous,” Beatty said in a news release on …