Areas outlined in red will likely be addressed this winter for wildfire mitigation. (Town of La Ronge)

By Derek Cornet

municipal update

Tree thinning, air quality policy among topics at Monday council meeting

Sep 22, 2025 | 2:51 PM

More tree thinning to mitigate the local wildfires risk will be discussed at a regular La Ronge council meeting later today.

“For the 2025/2026 winter, a total of 13.2 hectares is planned to be thinned. Areas that have been identified as high risk due to very old thick growth and backs residential homes and critical infrastructure, such as a telecommunication tower and the Waste Water Treatment Plant,” a document prepared by administration states.

“The area in red outlines will be hand-thinned using hand -powered tools and no new access roads will be created to reach the areas. Saskatchewan Research Council will work with Boreal Outdoor Recreation Association and do their best to limit thinning directly on trail networks behind Robertson Drive area.”

The document notes an aggressive approach is being taken to ensure when the next threat of wildfire comes, the municipality will be in the best possible position to deal with the situation at hand. During the 2025 Pisew fire, none of the areas highlighted on the above map were affected by fires, but had a spot fire developed in these areas, fire departments patrolling should’ve been able to spot and take action on a fire to contain it quickly.

Also at the meeting, council will be discussing potential changes to the Air Quality Policy, as well as applying for funding from the Targeted Sector Support Initiative for the purposes of exploring and creating a regional recreation governance body.

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“During the summer of 2025, multiple days of poor air quality occurred due to wildfires in Northern Saskatchewan, including La Ronge,” the agenda reads.

“When administering the existing policy, inconsistencies arose between departments regarding the type of air quality monitors being used. In addition, the prolonged smoky conditions led to several complaints from employees across departments, including those working indoors.”

To address those gaps, a revision to the Air Quality Policy will improve clarity, provide consistency for employees administering the policy and allow operational flexibility. The intent is to purchase a portable air quality monitor that can be used to verify the air quality levels in various work sites as part of our hazard assessment and mitigation processes.

If successful, funds from the Targeted Sector Support Initiative would be used to hire a consultant to assist in drafting the necessary agreements or supporting documents to realizing a new recreational governance body. It is anticipated that $40,000 would be an appropriate project budget for the scope of work.

The entire agenda can be viewed online here.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com