Moosomin prepared to help with people displaced by fires
June 9, 2025, 12:14 pm
Kara Kinna
Mayor Murray Gray says the town of Moosomin is prepared to help with people displaced by wildfires, and has contacted the provincial government to let them know that.
“The hotels reached out and said ‘hey, we got lots of capacity.’ We understand that the cities are a little bit overwhelmed with people that need places to stay, so they wanted to make me aware of that in case something came up,” he says.
“I reached out to Moosomin-Montmartre MLA Kevin Weedmark and said let’s be proactive here and offer what we have here just because we do have all the services here other than just the hotel rooms.
“If we do have some evacuees that do come here, our EMO would kick in as far as volunteering to feed them and some of the other things they are going to need. We would kick right into our EMO at that time and get some volunteers together.
“It just kind of happened quickly. Yesterday when it was suggested to me I hadn’t really thought of it, but I think we to need to offer to help. We are a medium sized town, but the pressure in the city is getting overwhelming as more and more people are evacuating. I think Candle Lake is probably going to be next, so there is going to be more and more people looking for somewhere to go, so I suggested we can handle them here.
“It would obviously depend on how many show up, it would be a moving target.
We’d do whatever we need to do in order to keep things happening smoothly. At that point in time definitely the EMO would kick in and our services that we can provide to our evacuees. If you were totally overwhelmed, then you would have to go into using your halls with cots and that type of thing, but at this point in time we have rooms at hotels for families that need somewhere to go.”
Gray says he feels it is important to help.
“There are thousands of people displaced and as good Saskatchewan citizens, we need to offer whatever we can to help make things as smooth as possible, just as they would help us if we needed help with something.”
Offers of food, clothing
Fleming area resident Trevor Green contacted the World-Spectator last week and said he and his wife Cindy were willing to cook homemade meals for people displaced by the fires. There have also been offers of clothing from local residents wanting to help.
“I lived in hotels for years when I worked on the pipeline. Eating restaurant food gets old pretty quick,” says Green. “I figured if there were a few people living in a hotel here, we could bring a lasagna up or cook a roast or something like that. We raise our own beef, so if we cooked a roast of something it wouldn’t really be much to bring them a roast beef supper if there were 10 or 12 people living in a hotel. Restaurant food gets pretty old when you’re eating it all the time.
“It’s kind of the Métis way to share with others.
“If we did end up with a group of people staying here, I’m sure we’d end up with a group of people in Moosomin who would volunteer to help. There’s enough people in Moosomin to help like that.”
Sask government, federal government, Red Cross providing relief
Last week the Saskatchewan government announced it will be immediately providing $15 million to the Canadian Red Cross to work with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency to support wildfire evacuees.
The Government of Canada also announced that it will match every dollar donated to the Canadian Red Cross 2025 Saskatchewan Wildfires Appeal to support wildfire disaster relief and recovery efforts across Saskatchewan.
Donation matching will be open for 30 days, retroactive to when the appeal first opened on May 30. The funds raised will be used to assist those impacted by the wildfires in Saskatchewan, including those who have evacuated their homes.
Thousands of Saskatchewanians have been displaced as wildfires continue to threaten communities across the province. In response, the Canadian Red Cross is working closely with Indigenous leadership and all levels of government to provide emergency accommodations, personal services and critical information to people who have been forced from their homes.
“Saskatchewan people are known for coming together in times of need,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said. “This fundraising initiative to support those impacted by the wildfires reflects the generosity shown in our province and throughout the country. We thank the Canadian Red Cross for their fundraising efforts and for providing support for evacuees as we continue to fight these wildfires.”
“I would like to express my heartfelt support for the people and the communities that are affected by wildfires across the country,” Federal Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada Eleanor Olszewski said. “As wildfires continue to impact communities across the province of Saskatchewan, we are committed to working closely with the provincial government, Indigenous leadership, and the Canadian Red Cross to ensure a coordinated and compassionate response. By matching donations to the Red Cross, we are encouraging the people of Canada to come together in support of those affected and to help communities recover and rebuild with strength and resilience.”
“This has been a devastating beginning to wildfire season in Canada and our thoughts are with those impacted by the fires,” Canadian Red Cross President and CEO Conrad Sauvé said. “The Canadian Red Cross is grateful for the generosity of people living in Canada, and to the Government of Canada for their support of people impacted by wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Red Cross is committed to providing support to people in the immediate days of the response, as well as for recovery.”
Canadians wishing to make a financial donation to help those impacted by wildfires in Saskatchewan can do so online at www.redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111.
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