A Denare Beach man who lost his home to a wildfire is calling out Premier Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan government for abandoning northern communities when they needed help most.
“It’s a gross, disgusting feeling that nobody’s there for us at the Sask. Party. I’m ashamed to even be part of Saskatchewan some days,” said Dustin Trumbley.
Trumbley and his fiancée were left homeless after flames tore through Denare Beach. He says his faith in leadership has been shattered.
“We need answers, we want some accountability from the Premier,” Trumbley said. “That’s his job, he’s a leader. I voted for him. I wish I didn’t, but I did. And I thought he would give some accountability by now. But he hasn’t.”
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NDP northern affairs critic Jordan McPhail, speaking alongside Trumbley, criticized the provincial government for failing to support evacuees, overlooking critical resources, delaying federal assistance, and not visiting hard-hit northern communities.
“The same Scott Moe, who has yet to tour the northern communities devastated by wildfires, Denare Beach, East Trout Lake and Sucker River, and hear firsthand from residents,” McPhail said.
Premier Scott Moe visited the northern communities of La Loche and Beauval on Monday, ahead of a Saskatchewan Party golf fundraiser at Elk Ridge Resort on Tuesday. Critics say this move shows misplaced priorities.
“Scott Moe’s actions in all of this remind me a lot of how his buddy Donald Trump acts. He plays golf while everything around him burns,” said Brittney Senger, the NDP’s ethics and democracy critic.
The NDP is demanding that Moe cancel the fundraiser for his party’s political campaigns and instead meet directly with evacuees.
“The Saskatchewan Party caucus has certainly abandoned northern Saskatchewan this wildfire season,” McPhail said. “They need to cancel this political golf fundraiser and get their asses up into northern Saskatchewan and start talking to people that have lost so much.”
Trumbley said that he isn’t seeking government funds or any handouts for evacuees, but instead wants to action, true leadership and accountability. “I don’t want financial assistance. I said this right from the start. I just don’t want it to happen to anybody else.”
Global News reached out to the Saskatchewan government for comment but did not hear back before deadline.
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“A gross, disgusting feeling”: Denare Beach wildfire survivor slams Sask. gov’t response
