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REGINA — An independent review into how Saskatchewan handled last year’s wildfires has found its public safety agency wasn’t fully prepared. 

The report, from accounting firm MNP, says the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency often operated in silos, resulting in uncertainty among staff about their roles and responsibilities. 

It says there was also insufficient pre-season planning and delays in hiring, training and procuring equipment.

“Staffing shortages, recruitment challenges, and difficulty retaining both specialized and seasonal personnel further reduced preparedness levels,” the report says. 

“Equipment and resource planning was further complicated by inconsistent pre-season planning and limited surge capacity, which, according to interest-holders, resulted in more reactive rather than strategic deployment.”

The 2025 fires were among the province’s worst on record, forcing more than 10,000 residents to flee from their homes.

In Denare Beach, in northeast Saskatchewan near the Manitoba boundary, about 400 homes — half the village — burned down.

The report says while fire was encroaching on Denare Beach, firefighting staff were spread thin.

“(Agency) staff interviews noted there was insufficient personnel to deploy to support some communities to ensure adequate capacity to respond to this fire.”

It also says the agency didn’t report on whether it ran modelling software each day to project the fire’s growth. It says modelling that was done didn’t account for a cold front that fanned the flames into Denare Beach.

It’s also unclear if previous “fuel management projects” near the village were effective, the report adds.

The province said it would be immediately implementing the report’s 11 recommendations, including a review of the safety agency’s structure and enhancing communication.

Michael Weger, the community safety minister, also says Saskatchewan would be providing grants to communities to mitigate against future wildfires and training a new tier of firefighters based on communities.

“We heard from local communities that no one knows their community better than them,” he said in a news release.

“(This review) provides our government with clear recommendations to ensure that the lessons learned from last year’s wildfire season are actioned to protect Saskatchewan people now and into the future.”

©2026 The Canadian Press