Saskatchewan commits $20 million to help rebuild communities destroyed by wildfires

WATCH: Saskatchewan has committed $20 million to support the people and communities affected by wildfires.

The Government of Saskatchewan has set aside $20 million to support communities and residents affected by this year’s wildfires.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has established a “Recovery Task Team” to lead the effort. The funding will be used to remove debris, environmental testing, and the expansion of community landfills.

“We know that the road to recovery begins with clearing the way, quite literally and figuratively,” Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Tim McLeod explained.

The funding will be accessible to communities that sustained losses during the provincial state of emergency from May 29 to June 26.

McLeod noted that the funding is not meant to replace personal or business insurance coverage, but it can be used for losses not covered under a standard fire insurance policy.

“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 if they have not already done so,” he said.

As of Monday morning, there are 67 wildfires burning in the province. Eight are considered contained, 17 are not contained, 26 are under ongoing assessment and protecting values is the priority for 16 fires.

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Rainfall and cooler temperatures allowed the province to end its state of emergency on June 27.

At that time, evacuations had ended for all but two communities across the province. At the emergency’s height, the wildfires forced around 15,000 residents to flee their homes.

Wildfire activity has peaked again in recent days.

The current total of 67 fires is more than double the total while the state of emergency was in effect.

The fires stretch across Saskatchewan’s sparsely populated north — with flames reported as far north as Wollaston Lake and as far south as the Carrot River area.

On June 20, the province confirmed that over 1,900 values had been lost so far this fire season. The losses included 299 houses and 60 cabins.

-With files from Drew Postey and Caitlin Brezinski.