Hunter Ballantyne boards a charter bus outside the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Home sweet home

First wave of homebound evacuees includes Pelican Narrows and Weyakwin

Jun 9, 2025 | 4:15 PM

Young adults and families boarding a charter bus in Prince Albert on Monday appeared happy and anxious to return home after being displaced by wildfires in northern Saskatchewan.

Favourable conditions have allowed crews to make progress on some of the 25 wildfires currently burning in the province and a repatriation process has started for Pelican Narrows and Weyakwin.

While some families told paNOW they were going to wait until Thursday or Friday before leaving the city, Hunter Ballantyne has been staying in Prince Albert for nearly two weeks and said he was eager to get on the bus.

“I just felt homesick and out of place,” he said.

Noting relief that his own home wasn’t damage by fires, Ballantyne said he’s been getting lots of updates from family members who stayed behind.

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“Not much is lost except for trees and probably the first responders area,” he said.

Healthy evacuees with their own vehicles are also allowed to return to Weyakwin and Pelican Narrows. The road from Smeaton to the northern communities was reopened Sunday night.

A post from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) advised check stops would be in place at the Pelican Narrows bridge to support both wildfire-related safety operations and ongoing community security priorities. All vehicles and adult occupants will be logged to help monitor suspicious activity and individuals who may be barred from entering Pelican Narrows or nearby communities.

Cumberland MLA Jordan McPhail showed up at the Exhibition Centre to see the evavuees off . (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Meanwhile PBCN said evacuees in the Priority 1 (P1) and Priority 2 (P2) categories are strongly advised to delay their return. This includes:

•Children under 5

•Pregnant or expecting mothers

•Individuals with respiratory (e.g. asthma, COPD) or cardiac conditions

•Home Care clients and Elders

•Anyone with chronic or vulnerable health issues

These individuals are at higher risk due to poor air quality, reduced medical services, and limited support infrastructure. The Pelican Narrows Health Centre is operating with minimal staff and is only able to respond to extreme or life-threatening emergencies.

When residents do return, a boil water advisory is in effect; all water used for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, or washing produce should be boiled for one minute.

Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Tim McLeod said repatriation is always a community decision made by community leaders.

“And we hope that they would do that in consultation with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency who have assessment teams that go in and make sure that it is safe for people to return.”

SPSA vice president of operations Steve Roberts said there is a lot that evacuees need to consider prior to returning home, including whether critical infrastructure like water and sewer are in place, or whether grocery stores and gas stations have been restocked.

“It may not be exactly vibrant and stocked in the exact same conditions because it’s been unoccupied for a number of weeks. So, something to consider, something to clarify and ask your community leaders…is this set up? Can I do this? Should I be bringing groceries to cover me for one week? So, ask those questions of your service providers and your community leaders before you come back just to be absolutely sure that you’re going to be in a good place when you get back home,” said Roberts.

Cumberland NDP MLA Jordan McPhail visited evacuees at the Exhibition Centre in Prince Albert Monday. He acknowledged the work done on the front lines by the fire crews.

“I just want to say a huge thank you to the hardworking women and men that they have done that, and then you know all the folks here and all the communities that the folks in Pelican have been displaced to. Community has come together. They’ve donated, they’ve helped these people get through some of the worst parts of their lives, and they’re on their way home.”

Referencing the thousands of evacuees who remain displaced, and ongoing concerns relayed to financial aid for them, McPhail said the NDP continues to call out to Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party urging them to ‘fix their broken systems and help the families who need it.’

“I know that they’re struggling to make ends meet,” he said, noting it’s tougher on these families when they see provinces like Manitoba or Alberta giving direct payments to evacuees.

“People have opened up their homes and their hearts to these evacuees, and they’re just needing the government to meet them where they’re at, and allow them to make those investments in the ways they see fit, not the way the provincial government sees fit.”

There are currently 33 communities that are on full, partial or limited evacuation status in the province. As of Monday, 10,262 persons are being supported by the Red Cross, 860 by the SPSA, plus numerous individuals who self-evacuated may be receiving intermittent supports from either agency.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Blue Sky: @nigelmaxwell.bsky.social