Wildfire efforts ramp up as military troops deployed in Alberta begin work
CBC
As communities across Alberta begin to receive military support with wildfire recovery efforts, some are hoping the extra help arrives soon.
"I'd love the help," said Raymond Supernault, East Prairie Métis Settlement chairman, in an interview with CBC Sunday morning.
He said 14 homes have been lost and that the extra military support would help members return to the community sooner.
Residents have been forced from their homes and are staying in hotels in High Prairie, Alta., 35 kilometres northwest of the settlement.
The settlement has been relying on crew members from Slave Lake and those who have come in from Ontario to help.
Deployment of 300 members of the Canadian Armed Forces began Saturday. Close to 250 firefighters are also expected to arrive from the U.S. this weekend.
Officials from Alberta Emergency Management Agency and Alberta Wildfire will provide an update on the wildfire situation at 3 p.m. MT. Watch it here live.
While help is being dispersed across the province, a growing number of local government officials are calling for the upcoming provincial election to be postponed. Voters are set to go to the polls May 29.
Wade Williams, mayor of Yellowhead County, said the province's initial response was too slow.
"It took us five days to get a fire ban in this area when it was extremely dry and we were burning up," he said Sunday.
"In my opinion, what was taking all the time was the fact that these folks are not in legislature doing their jobs at this point in time, which is why I decided to start calling for a postponement and get rid of this distraction so that we can deal with the fires and the emergencies that we have throughout the province."
The bar is high for delaying an election date and can only be requested on a constituency by constituency basis, according to Elections Alberta.
There are 83 active wildfires with 22 being classified as out of control. That does not include the eight wildfires burning outside those zones.
The situation in Drayton Valley remains unsafe for residents says Mayor Nancy Dodds.