The residents of the northern village of the Loche, Sask, are packing and heading home after the community eliminated their mandatory evacuation order.
The Saskatchewan Public Security Agency (SPSA) said the community also canceled its local emergency statement from 9 am on Friday.
“Buses are scheduled to transport the Loche on Friday night,” the SPSA said in his Wildfire Friday update.
Last weekend, residents took Regina buses after community leaders issued a mandatory evacuation order due to the smoke of the nearby fire.
Nearby, Clearwater River Dene Nation (CRDN) has also reopened residents. The community also evacuated last weekend due to smoked conditions.
“The mandatory evacuation order for our community has officially rise,” said CRDN emergency response team on a Facebook publication on Friday.
Evacuee buses began from Saskatoon and Bonnyville around 1:30 PM CST.
Meanwhile, the SPSA said that 12 other communities remain under evacuation orders.
More west, the Prince Albert National Park is still experiencing closures and a fire ban.
“Yesterday a small amount of rain through the Buhl fire, helping to keep under the behavior of fire,” Parks Canada said in an update on Friday.
The Buhl fire is currently at 95,666 hectares, with just over 12,700 hectares inside the park.
Parks Canada said the teams made a good progress on Thursday in priority areas on the southern and southeast side of the fire.
There are currently 86 active forest fires throughout the province, with only six considered content.
NDP asks the government to reduce PST in construction labor
As more communities return home, the official opposition of the province is asking the Saskatchewan government to reduce the PST in construction labor to help residents to rebuild households, cabins and commercial buildings destroyed in the north of the province.
The NDP said that hundreds of residential and commercial structures must be rebuilt in communities such as East Trout Lake, Den Beach and Sucker River.
The opposition said that construction work generally represents 30 to 50 percent of total construction costs.
“We continue to see the failure after the failure of the Government of the Sask party to fulfill the time to take the necessary measures to protect the communities, to support those thousands of evacuees, people who have had the worst summer of their lives,” said NDP leader Carla Beck, at a press conference on Friday morning.
She said that thousands of people throughout the province remain away from their homes, staying as far as Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.
Beck said residents have been constantly working to find solutions on how to rebuild their communities and that the government is often slow to respond.
“These are solutions that the Sask party government should move on,” said Beck, adding that Nathan Pitka, an East Trout Lake resident.
When asked about the PST proposal, the Saskatchewan government provided a statement.
“PST income helps to finance services in medical care, education and social services, as well as programs such as the exchange of municipal income and infrastructure investments in which communities trust,” the statement said.
“Our government is always looking for ways to stimulate the economy and encourage growth, another critical component to provide these important services and support Saskatchewan residents in need.”
The NDP said that it also continues to press the Government for “immediate direct financial aid” so that companies in the northern communities help them recover from forest fires that include:
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Subsidies for seasonal companies to help them during the forest fire season.
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Postponed on taxes and rates owed to the government by companies affected by forest fires.
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Coverage and claims of accelerated SGI for small businesses and tourist vendors.
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A zero interest commitment to government tax arrears for impacted companies.
