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The provincial government has committed millions more towards Saskatchewan’s wildfire recovery efforts.
The new funding, which totals $20 million, prioritizes three areas, supporting the initial phases of recovery in impacted communities.
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The first of those three priorities is debris removal and environmental testing.
Another is the creation, expansion, or maintenance of landfills near communities that suffered loss because of the wildfires, while the final priority is project management support to assist local recovery efforts.
“This funding is intended for losses not covered under a standard fire insurance policy,” Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said.
Clarifying the new funding’s purpose, McLeod said it won’t replace personal or business insurance coverage.
“Wildfires are typically an insurable natural occurrence, and as such we strongly encourage individuals and businesses to contact their insurance providers as soon as possible,” McLeod said.
The multi-million dollar commitment is based on government estimates of how much these objectives will cost.
The majority of funding will be delivered through the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) and is available to communities and individuals who suffered losses during Saskatchewan’s emergency declaration period, which was May 29 to June 26, 2025.
Evacuated communities who were under a state of emergency at the time of the loss will also be included.
Couldn’t be more proud of the Weyburn Fire Rescue Team who are in Beauval assisting with wildfire efforts. Rob, Bryson, & Marlow are taking our wildland utility unit to do what’s needed.
This is the Saskatchewan community.
Hats off to you, be safe, see you soon 🫡 pic.twitter.com/CxDMfNh6P3— Jeff Richards (@Jeff3Richards) July 5, 2025
Highway 918 closed
While the provincial state of emergency ended more than a week ago, some communities face growing wildfire threats.
In a media briefing on Monday, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) President Marlo Pritchard said Highway 918, which connects Patuanak to Beauval, is closed.
Essential traffic is still being escorted in and out, ensuring people continue to get necessary supplies, according to Pritchard.
“The community itself is not in danger — at least immediate danger — with the fire, but their access in and out … has been compromised,” Pritchard said.
“We will work with the community and assess it on a daily, if not hourly, basis to determine if there is a requirement to evacuate.”
Pritchard said crews are trying to open the access point as quickly as possible.
But, even with limited access, there’s no plans to issue an evacuation order.
“Evacuations are a leadership decision, so it will be dependent on the leadership. Should that happen, we will be there to support them,” Pritchard said.
Rebuilding in progress
While Patuanak faces uncertainty, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation is starting to confirm its housing rebuild and recovery plans in Denare Beach.
Based on a Facebook post, the community has identified a housing supplier and is finalizing a contract for ready-to-move homes, with the expectation that some will be available as early as mid-August.
As evacuees continue to stay in Saskatoon and other areas, the community is considering options to bring in refurbished trailers for temporary housing.
The plan is to source local contractors with the cleanup, coordinated by disaster recovery professionals, helping remove metal, concrete, fallen trees, and ash.
The estimated cost of cleaning up and rebuilding is between $13 to $14-million, with 24 Denare Beach homes included in the plans.
Active fires in the province on July 7, 2025. (Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency)
Fires in Saskatchewan on July 7
As of 3:30 p.m. on Monday 67 active wildfires burned in Saskatchewan.
Seventeen of those blazes were not contained, with another 26 under ongoing assessment and firefighters were protecting values in 16. Eight fires were considered contained.
Contained means suppression action is taking place and the fire is not expected to grow in size, ongoing assessment means the fire is being monitored regularly to assess risk to values in the area and not contained means suppression action is taking place but the fire is expected to grow in size, according to SPSA. Protecting values means a fire is active and action is focused on protecting things like cabins and infrastructure.
With Saskatchewan fully into its wildfire season, the time of year also brings more storms and lightning.
Consequently, majority of these were fires were caused by storm activity according to Pritchard.
Announcing a state of emergency, like the one that ended in June, is under ongoing assessment, “depending on the circumstances, impacts to nearby communities, (and) individuals,” according to Pritchard.
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