Saskatchewan News

The facility will be located northwest of Unity, on the current Simba Transload site, with both road and railroad access.

Transitioned from guard to centre as only NCAA D3 player to play in 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl.

Images of last year’s wildfires and the destruction they caused are still burned into the minds of many residents of northern Saskatchewan. And as another wildfire season looms, some are worried history will repeat itself. Jordan McPhail, the Saskatchewan NDP MLA for Cumberland, said Saskatchewan’s fleet of water bombers is not ready as the wildfire season approaches. On Friday, McPhail told reporters that two water bombers in Saskatchewan are “not going to be ready until mid-July or later,” with “another one that’s not showing up until August,” and a fourth “totally unaccounted for.” Read more:

• Public Safety Agency says several communities seeing spring flooding
• Saskatchewan ombudsman says government slow in responding to wildfire evacuees
• How Canadians can prepare for wildfire evacuations, from emergency plans to go bags

Those issues will mean a reduced fleet of water bombers in the province for the first few months of the wildfire season, McPhail said. “We will not have a full fire-fighting fleet until August, if at all,” he said. “That’s not just unacceptable, it’s dangerous.” The provincial government disputed McPhail’s claims about the readiness of the water-bomber fleet, accusing the NDP of spreading misinformation “without consideration of the facts.” In 2025, Rhonda Werbicki lost her family home of 26 years at Denare Beach to wildfires. Her home was one of around 200 in that area that was destroyed. She described the surreal feeling of getting a call from her home alarm company, letting her and her husband know their house was on fire. “You know that your house is burning down at that exact moment,” Wibicki said. “It’s just horrible.” An aerial view of the wildfire damage at Denare Beach in 2025. (Linda Lowe/Facebook) Werbicki and her husband lost their home on June 2, less than a week after they were evacuated from the community. “That’s just why I’m so passionate about this, is because I never want this to happen to anybody again,” she said. McPhail claimed the Government of Saskatchewan is “not prepared, yet again, for wildfire season,” which he said is infuriating to those who lost homes and property last summer. “We all remember what happened last year,” McPhail said. “Entire communities were threatened, homes were lost, families were displaced and, frankly, we’re lucky that nobody died. The fire that destroyed Rhonda’s home ripped through Denare (Beach) in June. So how can this government justify not being able to have their full fleet ready until August or at all?” McPhail said people in the northern parts of Saskatchewan are feeling deja vu over the “same lack of preparation, same talking points from the minister (and) same refusal to take responsibility.” He said accountability and transparency from the province is lacking, with a report that was promised in February still not available as of Friday. “My constituents are angry. They are anxious, and they have every right to be,” McPhail said. “They lived through this already. They watched their homes burn. They were forced out of their communities. They dealt with the trauma of losing so much, and now they’re being told the province still isn’t ready. That is an insult to those families, and it raises a bigger question. What has this government learned? Because from where people sit, the answer is ‘Not enough.’” In the fall, Werbicki and others visited Regina to meet with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan’s justice minister and attorney general. “I sat right across from (Moe), and I told him exactly how I felt,” Werbicki recalled. “He was somebody I voted for, and I told him that. I said, ‘I really respected you. I really trusted you as a government official.’ I looked at him right in the eye, and I said, ‘You disappointed us in the north.’” Werbicki said she was touched when Moe took his glasses off, looked at her and responded by saying “I know. And for that, I’m really sorry.” She said Moe approached her after the meeting, gave her a hug and promised her he would “do better.” Werbicki said the apology and promise meant the world to her, but she expressed disappointment that the premier hasn’t visited Denare Beach to hold a community meeting, though he did visit the community in September, and that he did not support a public inquiry into last year’s wildfire season, instead opting for an independent review. She said that decision “was just a slap in the face” to her and residents of the area. “If you really wanted to do better, actions speak louder than words,” she said. Wibicki, who was involved in a class-action lawsuit against the province that ultimately did not proceed, said she is still planning to rebuild her home. She presently is living in Gimli, Man. – about an eight-hour drive from Denare Beach – and returns frequently for work. She said she has two residences rented so she can go back and forth for work as needed. “So many people have commented that you should expect wildfires because you live in the trees. That is true,” she acknowledged. “I also expect that we are going to be protected by a government that we pay taxes to, regardless of where we live.” Wibicki said she wants the province to learn from its mistakes and improve its response. “It doesn’t seem like they’ve learned from it, and it just makes me so angry,” Wibicki said. Wibicki remembered her community’s last public meeting, held on June 23. She called the gathering “embarrassing,” saying the province had no answers for residents. She said another community meeting has been promised as the wildfires season looms, but expressed frustration that Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) president Marlo Pritchard and vice-president Steve Roberts are not expected to attend. “We’re going to just get the run around that they don’t have the answers,” Wibicki stated. “I just feel like everybody’s avoiding us. I would just like some accountability of what happened last year, and I really, really, really would like lessons learned.” “They deserve answers,” McPhail said, “and they deserve a government that takes their safety seriously. Instead, they’re getting delayed deflection, a firefighting fleet that won’t be fully ready until halfway through the season, and that’s not good enough, not for the people that I serve, which is almost the entire northern half of this province.” All aircraft accounted for, province says The provincial government said the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has “one of the largest and most capable aerial firefighting fleets in Canada,” with 17 aircraft positioned across the province for quick and effective wildfire deployment. “It is disappointing the unserious NDP continue to politicize this matter without consideration of the facts, spreading misinformation on matters of public safety,” the province said in an emailed statement. “The Government of Saskatchewan deeply appreciates the heroic efforts of our first responders, pilots and support staff to ensure Saskatchewan families and communities are safe and secure.” The government explained that updates were made to the public safety agency’s website on Oct. 20. “The old content listed the Convair count as 4 aircraft and the Q400s were not mentioned,” the government explained. “The SPSA updated the website to reflect the new Q400 that entered the fleet and reduced the Convair count to three, to reflect the previously announced retirement of one Convair 580 that was retired from the fleet in 2025.” The government clarified that with the announcement of the airtanker renewal program in April 2024, “it was noted that the Q400s would be replacing the aging Convair 580s” when the new aircraft arrived. The province stated that the government and public safety agencies used “all available resources… including a fleet of water bombing aircraft” during the 2025 wildfire season. The current SPSA fleet includes three Convair 580A land-based air tankers, a Q400 land-based air tanker, six Cl 215T turbine-powered water-scooping air tankers and seven turbo commander bird-dog aircraft. “Due to the critical conditions of where these aircraft operate, there are times when planes will be temporarily removed from service for repair, a federally regulated inspection, maintenance and other issues,” the province noted. “If availability is hindered, the SPSA will request additional aircraft through its existing mutual aid agreements and compacts. The Government of Saskatchewan will not compromise the health and safety of our pilots and aircraft crews and will ensure that all air assets are in compliance with safety standards and regulations.” The province said the public safety agency brings its air groups into service in two phases, with the first already prepared for deployment as of April 20. “This approach ensures aircraft are available throughout the entire wildfire season, while maintaining flexibility to address fleet readiness and maintenance requirements,” the government said. Wibicki said she’s concerned that people in her community and other northern parts of the province where fires might spread will take matters into their own hands this wildfire season. She said people are installing sprinklers and pumps in preparation for the season. “I’m really fearful that if there is another fire, that people are not going to leave their homes,” she said. “Last year, people left, and I don’t think people will leave (again) because of the lack of help that we had last year. And that’s scary, because thankfully, there (were) no deaths this last year, but that could be something that is different in the years coming.”

OTTAWA — Ottawa can't afford to wait any longer to introduce new online harms legislation that covers AI chatbots and video games, children’s advocates and about a dozen kids told a press conference on Parliament Hill Monday.

FREDERICTON — New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says she's shuffling around several provincial senior staff as of May 1. Deputy Finance Minister Travis Bergin becomes deputy minister responsible for government reform and modernization on Friday. Bergin will be part of the Executive Council Office working on ways to cut costs amid financial challenges facing the province. Amy Beswarick will take over Bergin's previous role at finance on an interim basis, adding it to her current deputy minister gig at the human resources department. Jim Mehan will become deputy minister of post-secondary education, training and labour, while Daniel Mills will take over Mehan's old gig as deputy minister of social development. Cabinet Secretary Judy Wagner will transition to a new role as senior advisor to the head of the public service ahead of a retirement. Wagner has spent more than three decades working at the New Brunswick government, according to her LinkedIn profile. "We extend our sincere thanks to Judy for her many years of dedicated public service and her outstanding leadership in key roles," Holt said Monday. "Her insight, commitment and steady guidance have made a lasting impact, and she will be missed." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press

WASHINGTON — Quebec's premier met today in Washington D.C. with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, an influential member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet. Christine Fréchette met Greer ahead of negotiations between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico on the continental free-trade pact, scheduled to begin July 1. Fréchette's office did not release details yet from the meeting with Greer, a former U.S. air force lawyer who was chief of staff to Trump’s first-term trade representative, Robert Lighthizer. She is in Washington on her first official foreign trip since she was sworn in as premier earlier this month. Earlier in the day she held a roundtable discussion with representatives of business associations including the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and General Motors. The United States is Quebec’s main trading partner, but since March 2025 U.S. tariffs have hit several of the province's industrial sectors hard. In 2024, nearly three-quarters of Quebec’s exports (73.5 per cent) were destined for the U.S. market, valued at $91.2 billion. These consisted mainly of aircraft, aluminum, aircraft engines, and mining products such as gold, silver, platinum group metals, and their alloys. Greer's official website says he “has made it a priority to put America First on trade by combating unfair foreign trade practices, expanding market access for Made in America products, and ensuring the United States has balance and reciprocity in its trading relationships.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. -- With files from The Associated Press The Canadian Press

The RM of Sherwood's office was vandalized Sunday night, with spray paint spelling out an anti-AI sentiment across the front doors.

VICTORIA — Provincial gun regulations that have been nine years in the making will come into effect in British Columbia this fall, shutting down what the province call loopholes in federal laws that have helped allow extortion crimes to proliferate. The new regulations include a ban on firing from vehicles, which has been a feature of a wave of extortions involving shooters firing from cars at homes and businesses, then posting videos of the attacks online. Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger says the new regulations resulting from the Firearm Violence Prevention Act will help police crack down on such offences. The new regulations also make it an offence to operate a vehicle illegally transporting a firearm and requiring that imitation and low-velocity firearms, such as pellet guns, are securely stored when being transported. While the government drafted the legislation before the recent rise of extortion-related shootings, Krieger says the regulations are all about closing "loopholes that are exploited by organized (criminals) and specifically by extortionists causing harm in our communities." The act, which was originally passed in 2021 and comes into force on Oct. 1, was developed out of a 2017 task force report into illegal firearms. Krieger says it "took really extensive consultations" over the past five years to strike the right balance with "uninterrupted, safe access" for law-abiding gun owners and criminals. Attorney General Niki Sharma says extortionists have been testing the "limits of accountability" in several ways, including using rental cars or cars owned by family and friends to transport firearms. When police discover firearms, Sharma says, individuals often "claim that they didn't know that they were there, or that the firearms belonged to somebody else." She says such loopholes create "real challenges for prosecution under existing criminal laws, adding the new regulations will remove common defences used by organized criminals and help disrupt their mobility. "Police rely primarily on the Criminal Code and the federal Firearms Act," Sharma says. "But they come with high evidentiary thresholds, and do not always allow for swift intervention at the street level." Sharma says the new rules fill these gaps by creating provincial offences, while the act "provides a clear mechanism for police to confiscate and destroy firearms used to commit an offence." The regulations also prohibit the sale of low-velocity and imitation firearms to anyone under 18. Krieger says that list includes BB, pellet and airsoft guns, lighters designed to look like firearms, and other objects that could reasonably be mistaken to be firearms. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press

Canadian wood manufacturers are welcoming a trade inquiry into wood imports but say the investigation needs to be followed by immediate provisional tariffs on foreign-made goods entering the country. Earlier this month, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the government had directed the Canadian International Trade Tribunal to launch an inquiry into global imports of wood cabinets and vanities, hardwood flooring and storage furniture. Read more:

• Carney says tariffs ‘more than irritants’ as U.S. officials complain about booze ban
• Poll suggests Canadians want Carney government focused on affordability in next year
• Some Sask. shoppers still snub U.S. products a year after tariff war

He said the tribunal would have 270 days to decide if increased imports of the products are causing or threatening to cause serious injury to Canadian wood product manufacturers, and to make recommendations to the government on next steps. The Canadian Wood Products Alliance says it appreciates the government’s “swift recognition” of the situation but says it won’t be enough to provide the stability and relief the industry needs unless it’s followed by tariffs. It says there are tens of thousands of Canadians who depend on the industry. The alliance says there have been job losses and business closures already, and more will follow if tariffs aren’t implemented immediately. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man who authorities say tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives was charged Monday with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump and will remain at least temporarily behind bars as the case moves forward. Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court Monday to face federal charges in a chaotic encounter that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being rushed off the stage and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables. He was taken into custody after the shooting on Saturday night and sat beside his lawyers in a brief appearance Monday in Washington’s federal court. Read more:

• Trump unharmed, suspect in custody after shooting at White House correspondents’ dinner
• Prime Minister Mark Carney announces Canada’s first sovereign wealth fund
• Drought fears linger as seeding begins on southwest Saskatchewan farms

Besides being charged with attempting to assassinate the Republican president, Allen also faces two firearms charges. He did not enter a plea. A judge granted a prosecutor’s request Monday to keep Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, detained pending additional hearings. One of Allen’s lawyers, Tezira Abe, asked for a detention hearing and noted Allen has no criminal record. “He also is presumed innocent at this time,” she said. The Associated Press called multiple phone numbers listed for Allen and relatives in public records, and there was no answer when a reporter knocked on the door of his home. Prosecutors have not revealed a motive, but in a message reviewed by the AP that authorities say was sent by Allen to family members minutes before the attack, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin,” made repeated references to the Republican president without naming him and alluded to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions. Investigators are treating the writings, along with a trail of social media posts and interviews with family members, as some of the clearest evidence of the suspect’s mindset and possible motives. Allen is believed to have traveled by train from California to Chicago and then onto Washington, where he checked himself in as a guest at the hotel where the gala dinner was held with its typically tight security, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. Video posted by Trump shows a man, who authorities say was armed with guns and knives, running past a security barricade as Secret Service agents run toward him. Authorities say an officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest but is expected to recover. Records show Allen is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer. A social media profile for a man with the same name and a photo that appears to match that of the suspect show he worked part-time for the last six years at a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students.

Residents of Foam Lake, Sask., banded together after the town declared a local emergency due to flooding last Tuesday.

"We know it's going to get a lot tougher real soon."

The Unity Music Festival held its 100th finale on April 26, with encore performances from the young and young-at-heart.

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Avi Lewis said Monday he won't run in an upcoming Quebec byelection to fill a seat being left vacant by Alexandre Boulerice.

OTTAWA — NDP Leader Avi Lewis said Monday he won't run in an upcoming Quebec byelection to fill a seat being left vacant by Alexandre Boulerice. Boulerice officially announced Monday he is leaving Parliament to run provincially for the Québec solidaire after spending 15 years as an MP. He will sit as an Independent until he formally resigns his seat in the Quebec riding of Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie ahead of the provincial election campaign call this fall. Boulerice said he feels he has completed his work federally and framed the move as a continuation of his progressive work rather than a political calculation. "It’s not a decision that is taken lightly," he said. "After 15 years and five election victories, I felt I had done what I needed to do in Ottawa and that it was now time to come back home, here, to Quebec." His departure is another blow to the NDP, which last year had its worst showing in a federal election, winning just seven seats. It needs 12 to be considered an official party in the House of Commons, which means it no longer has a seat on House committees, and had its caucus funding reduced. The NDP caucus was reduced to six in March when Nunavut MP Lori Idlout crossed the floor to the Liberals. Boulerice's departure will cut that further to five. He was also the only MP in Quebec, and the only one east of Manitoba. Lewis, who was elected less than a month ago to lead the party, said he encouraged Boulerice to stay on in Parliament. "I think everyone did and when I saw Alex in my first moments as leader, I did what I think a responsible leader should do because everyone had heard the rumours for a long time and we knew he was considering it," Lewis told reporters Monday. "But it's clear that this decision has been a long time in coming and we were ready." Although Lewis doesn't hold a seat in the House of Commons, he said he won't run in the vacated seat because Quebecers should be represented by someone from Quebec and it's too soon for him to consider a run. "This is not a riding where I will seek election myself," he said. "I'm not a Quebecer, and there's a lot of interest already locally." Boulerice said his shift to provincial politics reflects where he believes the most urgent battles are now being fought in Quebec. "The house is not in order," he said. "We need to fix Quebec." He said issues like housing affordability, public services and inequality have become increasingly difficult to address from Ottawa, and stronger provincial action is required to respond to what he described as mounting social pressures in Quebec. Lewis said Monday he believes Boulerice's move is different from recent floor-crossings and what he called "opportunistic moves that we've seen from MPs recently." In addition to Idlout, four MPs elected as Conservatives joined the Liberals between November and April. "This is a move of principle," said Lewis. "Alexandre wants to put his considerable skills as a politician and as a fighter for progressive values to work in his province, and we respect that decision." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. —With files from Charlotte Glorieux in Montreal Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press

Frances (Lorraine) Vickers (nee Dilworth) It is with great sadness that the family of Lorraine announce her passing on April 23, 2026, just shy of her 99th Birthday.

TORONTO — Business groups say the federal government's decision to establish Canada's first sovereign wealth fund could be helpful to get projects going, but is not a singular fix.

TORONTO — Business groups say the federal government's decision to establish Canada's first sovereign wealth fund could be helpful to get projects going, but is not a singular fix. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the Canada Strong Fund on Monday, saying it will invest in major Canadian industrial projects in areas such as energy, infrastructure, mining, agriculture and technology with an initial $25 billion in government funding. Matthew Holmes, head of public policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says the fund is another tool to spur investment, but its success hinges on the details and speed of implementation. Holmes says in a statement that given the amount of time it could take to get such a fund running, the immediate focus should remain on areas like boosting trade relations, reducing regulation and tax reform. Pierre Gratton, head of The Mining Association of Canada, says a sovereign wealth fund could be helpful in areas like critical minerals that need patient, longer-term capital. He says it will be less helpful for more conventional metals projects like copper or iron mines, which he says would benefit more from tax and infrastructure improvements. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026. Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press

CAIRO (AP) — Iran offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S.

The police chase started after officers on routine patrol in Saskatoon spotted a vehicle that had been reported stolen.