Some Sask. wildfire evacuees feeling unwelcome and crammed at Regina accommodations

Some residents from northern Saskatchewan communities forced to flee their homes due to ongoing wildfires say they are facing another challenge while staying in Regina: uncomfortable and unwelcoming accommodations.

Sam Cummings and his family were forced to leave their home that is near Buffalo Narrows late Sunday night.

Cummings said after driving all night they arrived at the University of Regina (U of R) Monday and while appreciating that they are safe, have felt more like “caged animals” during their time here.

“We have to be in our rooms at 10:30 every night and are not allowed to leave after this time,” Cummings said.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA)  is responsible for setting up the accomodations and managing the displaced residents. According to the agency, improvements will be made as they get settled.

Cummings said there is minimal to no entertainment for the children who were evacuated along with their parents and guardians. They have access to a fridge and stove, but no cooking utensils, and he said many of the meals they are provided are processed.

“We were told if we don’t like it to go and pay for a hotel room ourselves,” he said.

Cummings said at the time of his evacuation, he was building an addition to his sister’s home near Buffalo Narrows. He believes all of his tools and clothing have been lost in the fire.

“This devastation has affected a lot of our material things that are replaceable and thankfully no one has been killed yet, but to be brought here and then treated like criminals is just plain bulls--t,” Cummings said.

Tyrah Laprise, 23, had similar complaints. She had to evacuate her home in Buffalo Narrows with her 11-year-old brother and her three children ages one, five and six.

The group of five was placed in a two-bedroom dorm room with one bathroom. She said the beds were more like plastic gym mats and they were not age-appropriate for her one-year-old daughter to sleep on.

Tyrah Laprise said her kids had to sleep on a plastic mat on the floor of the dorm room. (Source: Tyrah Laprise)

“It’s not a very kid-friendly place,” Laprise said. “I couldn’t stay there, my kids didn’t like it there at all.”

Laprise and her family only spent one night at the U of R before they decided to go to a friend’s house.

“It’s better here. It’s more comfortable. We can actually roam around the house and not be stuck in the little dorm,” Laprise said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 28 active wildfires in Saskatchewan six of them are considered not contained, according to the SPSA’s website.

Two uncontained fires are burning just south of Buffalo Narrows, the Vermette and Shaw fires.

SPSA SAYS IMPROVEMENTS ARE ON THE WAY

Officials with the SPSA said improvements will be made in the coming days as more people get settled.

“We usually give it a couple of days just to get everybody settled in and then ensure that anybody with dietary needs or any special needs, that we are meeting those as well,” Joan Hrycyk, SPSA director of emergency crisis support said.

Since evacuees arrived, the SPSA said they have set up a room for activities and a room for elders to sit and play games. They’ve also requested to access the gymnasium, pool and daycare at the U of R to offer other activities for families and are reaching out to other community associations as well.

Hrycyk said the evacuees are not placed under a curfew per se, but there are some rules.

“There are other people at the university besides evacuees so we do ask for a quiet time after 10:30 p.m.,” Hrycyk said. “We ask them to be in their rooms, but they don’t have to stay in their rooms. They are welcome to come and go as they please and be anywhere that they would like.”

The SPSA also asked evacuees to make sure all children are accompanied by an adult.

As for meals, officials said they are trying to provide food for a large number of people. The SPSA serves three meals plus two snacks each day and they try to offer a variety of options including fresh fruits and salads.

“We tend to meet with a lot of the community members that are displaced to talk to them about how things are going and to talk to community members here to make sure their needs are being met,” Hrycyk said.