Sask. wildfire evacuees 18 and older to receive $500 emergency fund, premier says

WATCH: Premier Scott Moe says wildfire evacuees will be receiving an additional $500.

All Saskatchewan wildfire evacuees 18 years or older, will now receive an additional $500 emergency investment.

The funds will be distributed by local leaders as part of a provincial/municipal partnership.

“These funds are going to help support families, not only through their evacuated time, but going to help support them as they encounter the cost of returning to their home community,” Premier Scott Moe told reporters in Saskatoon Wednesday.

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The $500 fund is in addition to other financial assistance offered to those registered with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA).

Currently, the head of a household receives $40 a day while each additional member receives $20 - up to a maximum of $200 daily.

During his remarks, Moe referenced the issues with provincial support for wildfire evacuees – and reassured residents that the government is working to fix these issues.

“We have realized that there are bottlenecks in the systems that we have to support those families,” he said. “We pushed ourselves … to address those concerns in as timely a manner, and often hours, not days, to provide the supports that are necessary.”

On Tuesday, Saskatchewan Ombudsman Sharon Pratchler announced her office would be reviewing the province’s handling of providing support to wildfire evacuees – after receiving a flood of complaints and requests for assistance from displaced residents.

There are 23 active wildfires in Saskatchewan. Six are considered not contained.

There have been 259 wildfires so far this fire season – up from the five-year average of 147.