Helicopter helps rescue injured Saskatoon man in northern Sask.

A Saskatoon man and his dog are safe after an ordeal in northern Saskatchewan.

According to the Saskatchewan RCMP, the Black Lake detachment got a call Wednesday at about 4 p.m., reporting a GPS device had issued an SOS from a remote body of water roughly 25 kilometres northeast of Black Lake.

The SOS included a message from a canoeist who said he was hurt. The man, who was identified as a 26-year-old from Saskatoon, said he was at the location with his dog.

“Shortly after 5 p.m., the canoeist updated police of the nature of his serious injuries and that he was progressively getting weaker as the cold temperatures dropped,” an RCMP media release said.

“The canoeist sent another message advising he lost most of his gear. The temperature projected for the night was about -6 degrees Celsius. Officers determined the rescue had to be performed that evening.”

Police determined the man’s location couldn’t be reached by land or water without long portages and local aviation companies couldn’t travel in the dark.

An officer contacted the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) in Trenton, Ont., and was told a helicopter out of Fort McMurray, Alta., could help.

The helicopter refuelled in Stony Rapids at about 10:30 p.m., and then headed for the canoeist’s last-known location.

Upon arriving, the crew determined the site wasn’t suitable for a landing, so a paramedic was lowered to the ground to help the man while the helicopter hovered overhead.

The paramedic, the injured man and his dog were winched back into the helicopter just before midnight. When the helicopter landed, it was met by paramedics.

The release said the man is in hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Black Lake is about 890 kilometres north of Prince Albert.