Saskatoon & Winnipeg | May 30, 2025: In response to the devastating wildfires threatening communities in central Canada:

Dr. Murray Opdahl, a family physician and co-chair of CAPE Saskatchewan said:

“It’s a dark day in Saskatchewan and our neighbouring provinces, with so many of our communities at risk from these devastating wildfires. Wildfires and wildfire smoke pose immediate safety risks, and can have long-lasting impacts on people’s health and mental health. Our communities need immediate support during this crisis.

“We also need bold action to stop these wildfires from continuing to get worse each year. The science is clear: these increasingly severe wildfires are directly linked to climate change driven by fossil fuel emissions. What we’re witnessing isn’t natural; it’s the result of human activity warming our planet.

“Today I’m calling on all governments to take immediate action to protect people on the frontlines of this crisis—and to declare their commitment to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to safer alternatives.”

Dr. Ann Loewen, a family & emergency physician and chair of CAPE Manitoba, said:

“Scenarios of entire communities on the run from wildfires threatening their homes, their communities and their lives are playing out across Manitoba. Physicians are concerned about the well-being of all who are affected: from the psychological stress of frantic departures through smoke and fire, to the health impacts of widespread poor air quality, the economic hardship of lost livelihoods and destroyed, and the sadness over loss of life. At this juncture no one in Manitoba is unaffected.

“Widespread frustration and dismay does not help those affected cope with their difficult circumstances. Because despite all the advance warning that wildfires could encroach on human activity, governments and other leaders are still unable to address this threat. Pukatawagan Cree Nation currently has no power and no airport because of fire impacts, and there are still un-evacuated residents there. The town of Flin Flon has been completely vacated and may soon experience destruction. Pimicikamak Cree Nation residents must take a ferry to escape—a significant bottleneck—so they are still not completely evacuated. Meanwhile the fires bear down and winds make their own decisions, regardless of human vulnerabilities.

“Given all this, Manitobans will suffer health and other consequences of forest fire events for the entire summer of 2025, possibly beyond. Respiratory and cardiac harms of these events are well documented especially in the setting of high heat, which is happening at the same time.

“These severe and early-season fires are not chance events. They are due to the effects of human activity and climate change that result in hot and dry spring forest conditions, such that rapid snow melt does not give plant and soil material enough time to absorb the moisture, in conjunction with a wide variety of human sources of heat and flame.

“We need to seriously consider our individual and collective impacts on our land, air, water and on each other if we are to have a planet worth living on.”

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For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:

Reykia Fick
Communications Director | Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment
647-762-9168
media@cape.ca