“Living out of a suitcase is expensive – this is one of the biggest concerns we hear from evacuees,” said Beck. “People need support to pay for food, fuel, and a safe place to sleep.
“We don’t know where this crisis is going or when it will end. This is about helping people during one of the hardest moments of their lives.”
With more than 15,000 Saskatchewan residents displaced and no clear timeline for return, Beck says the Sask. Party government must follow the lead of Alberta and Manitoba, who have already committed emergency financial support for evacuees.
Alberta is offering e-transfers of $1,250 per adult
and $500 per child for those evacuated under mandatory orders for more than seven days.
Manitoba is providing $34 per day per adult
and $27 per day per child,
to help cover basic needs while evacuation orders remain
in place.
“We should be providing assistance here, too,” said Jordan McPhail, Saskatchewan NDP Cumberland MLA. “I have heard from so many of my constituents who don’t have savings to fall back on. They need help — they don’t know when they will be able to return home or what they will be returning home to.
“They need to know the government has their backs.”
Saskatchewan NDP Social Services Shadow Minister Brent Blakley agreed.
“This program should be standard for evacuees forced from their homes, like it is in Alberta,” Blakley said. “This is one way the government can ease some of the financial pressure and help people focus on what matters most — their families and their well-being in this scary time.”
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