Federal government announces $54 million for projects in northern Sask.

By Charlene Tebbutt

The federal government is putting $54 million into various projects around the northern Saskatchewan region, including crime prevention, forest fire prevention and flood mitigation.

The money was announced Tuesday in Prince Albert by Ralph Goodale, federal minister of public safety and emergency preparedness. Six community safety initiatives will receive funding from the federal government, with a number of local and provincial agencies also chipping in with matching funds, bringing the total to nearly $100 million.

“The idea here, is to invest in smart, preventative measures in advance, to keep people safe, to save money, to secure the economy, and better protect lives and livelihoods,” Goodale said. “It’s all about working together, it’s about getting ahead of the issues and focussing on prevention wherever possible.”

The approved projects include crime prevention initiatives in Île-à-la-Crosse, Pelican Lake First Nation and Witchekan Lake First Nation. Each northern Saskatchewan community will receive $400,000 over the next two years to assess the prevalence of issues including youth gangs and violence, sex crimes, addictions, and mental health issues and come up with a plan to promote more positive and healthy lifestyle choices.

The federal government is also directing $40.2 million toward two wildfire mitigation projects in Saskatchewan, including one in partnership with SaskPower that will allow the Crown corporation to upgrade its distribution network and clear up to 10,000 hectares of forest land in an effort to reduce forest fires. Additionally, the federal government will work with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment to protect 85 “far-flung” communities across the region – including Prince Albert – from the threat of forest fires on both provincial Crown land and municipal land.

The province will direct more than $8.26 million toward the initiative, with SaskPower contributing over $5.54 million and local municipal governments putting in $1,566,675.

The northeast area of the province will also see some new funding. The federal government is directing $12.5 million to upgrade and repair 50 kilometres along Highway 55 east of Carrot River, and reduce seasonal flooding in the area.

“Every community has the right to live in safety and security and there are particular challenges in rural, remote and Indigenous communities,” Goodale said Tuesday.

Reducing wildfire risk

More than $20 million is going toward reducing the risk of wildfire in 85 communities around the province, the federal government said. Steve Roberts, executive director of wildfire management with the province, said areas at the highest risk of fires have already been assessed and work will happen over the next eight or nine years to better protect local communities.

That includes Prince Albert, which borders a forested area.

“Every one of these communities has a threat because they’re in a forested environment and forest encroach right on those communities,” Roberts added. “If we can secure that, and make sure that’s more secure, then when a fire does occur, it causes less stress on the communities, less likely an evacuation, and less chance of damage that will be difficult to repair or replace in a short period of time.”

Funding for the northeast

Carrot River Valley MLA Fred Bradshaw said improvements to Highway 55 are badly needed. The poor road conditions often make it difficult for emergency services to get to communities such as the Red Earth First Nation or Shoal Lake, he said, while both the local mills have trouble doing business.

Work on the highway will get underway this year.

“That highway is very bad, and it’s very hard to get down that highway,” Bradshaw said. “This is a going to be a great economic godsend for our area, and actually for all of northern Saskatchewan, because you have to realize that [Highway] 55 is a northern corridor that works all the way from Manitoba across.”

Prince Albert in the mix

Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne attended the announcement Tuesday and said the city will see some trickle-down effects from the federal funding announcement. Those working across the north will need services and supplies, Dionne said, adding improvements to Highway 55 will benefit the city as well.

“Any corridor that’s improved also moves traffic towards us [and] we do also supply shopping for those areas in the north,” he said.

Dionne was also encouraged to hear more will be done to prevent the risk from forest fires.

“The biggest word that always frightens me at this time of year is the word evacuation,” he said. “And, anything the government can do at both levels to keep people at home and safe, that’s the end, because when you uproot them and you bring them to our city, we treat them as good as we can with our facilities, but at the end of the day, they’re worried.”