Latest news with #HeritageInn
CTV News
28-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘Everyone's kind of scared': Sask. evacuees move out of wildfire danger and into provincial centres
WATCH: As wildfires rage throughout the province, evacuees are doing their best to find comfort amid chaos. With ten wildfires listed as uncontained in Saskatchewan, residents in affected communities are being forced to leave their homes to stay safe. The City of Saskatoon is jumping in to help with evacuations from communities affected by wildfires. The Cosmo Civic Centre is closed as of Tuesday afternoon to accommodate an influx of evacuees. The Saskatchewan Public Safety agency says 1,700 people have been evacuated from Pelican Narrows – which is in full evacuation mode. Many of those fleeing the fires – coming to Saskatoon. 'Our whole community is surrounded by fire. The fire is only a few kilometers away. So, everyone's kind of scared to lose houses and everything like that because then if, you know, if we lose houses, then we're totally displaced,' Blayne Pearson-McCallum told CTV News. He arrived by bus Monday with his family. 'So, I'm here with my girlfriend and, our kids, and we're currently expecting a baby, too, so it's kind of, kind of throwing more problems into everything,' he said. The Red Cross confirmed to CTV News in an email that the organization is assisting those evacuated from the communities of Hall Lake, Sikachu Lake, Clam Bridge and Pelican Narrows. The Red Cross is providing registration, reception, temporary accommodations and personal services. The temporary accommodations are in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. The Heritage Inn and Saskatoon Inn are currently taking in evacuees. Rebecca Halkett arrived from Hall Lake with about 380 others from that community. 'I could see the smoke, but it's a good thing we came because, you know, yesterday they could see the flames right across the lake. Today the fire's really spread,' Halkett said. She arrived with her two kids, and she worries about their wellbeing. 'I have a son that has autism and is very hard on him being away from home because he's used to his routines so it's kind of hard,' she said. Halkett is happy with the support from the Red Cross. Rides are provided so they can leave the hotel. Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) Vice President Steve Roberts said the decision to evacuate or to send residents back home is left up to local leadership in affected areas. 'That will be through consult consultation of what's happening, with the smoke and with the fire. Their level of protection and assurance that, the community will be a safe place to return to,' Roberts explained. For now, provincial centres are preparing for the influx of residents. How many will seek refuge is unclear as mother nature will ultimately decide.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘It's disgraceful': Labour dispute involving Sask. hotel workers has now lasted more than 600 days
WATCH: Former premier Lorne Calvert is calling for the government to intervene in a hotel strike affecting Moose Jaw and Saskatoon hotels. Wayne Mantyka explain There is a new contract offer in one of Saskatchewan's longest labour disputes. Workers at Heritage Inn Hotels in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon have been locked out for more than 600 days. Workers will soon vote on the latest offer – but their union is not recommending acceptance. The picket line in front of the Moose Jaw Heritage Inn is a site Michelle Kettlewall knows well – it's a route she's walked for nearly two years. 'We've been out here for two winters, right? And you know a lot of people just want to get back in to work,' she told CTV News. The lockout at Heritage Inn hotels in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon has now lasted 628 days. The union says it recently received a new contract offer from management, the first since November of 2023. 'We have received an offer from the employer on Friday. The offer contains some increases to wages, but it still contains changes to the language that were the same changes that they had before,' UFCW Local 1400 President Lucy Figueiredo explained. Heritage Inn picket line Michelle Kettlewall is just one Sask. hotel worker that has been on the picket line for more than 600 days. (Wayne Mantyka/CTV News) Last week, former Premier Lorne Calvert expressed concern about the length of the lockout as he delivered the Leeson lecture in Regina. 'Oh, I just think it's disgraceful and the provincial government ought to turn its attention to try and bring these parties together, get these people back to work,' he told CTV News. It's a sentiment Figueiredo and the union share. 'So, I think there's lots of opportunities for the government to have been involved in the last twenty months and they just haven't,' she added. In a statement to CTV News late Tuesday afternoon, the provincial government did comment on the dispute, saying: 'We would encourage the union and employer to return to the bargaining table. Our government believes that the best agreements are those that are created through bargaining.' The union is not satisfied with the management's new offer. However, it will be put to a vote so that the locked-out workers can decide whether it is sufficient to end this lengthy labour dispute. CTV News did reach out to the management of Heritage Inn but did not receive a respond prior to publishing.
