Sask. couple stranded on remote island for two days awaiting rescue

A sign for Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation can be seen in this file photo.

A Saskatchewan First Nation is raising concerns about emergency response in the north after a couple was stranded on a remote island for nearly two days.

The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) says a Southend couple in their late 50s became stranded on Nov. 13 after their boat had engine trouble and started taking on water.

PBCN says they reached Milton Island on Reindeer Lake, about a two and a half hour boat ride from home, and survived by huddling under a blanket and keeping a fire going.

The First Nation says a family member contacted RCMP when the couple did not return as planned. It says community members began searching because RCMP officers were not familiar with the lake system.

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PBCN says the couple was found nearly 48 hours later and needed urgent medical care for hypothermia.

The First Nation says it took six hours to arrange a helicopter because floatplanes in La Ronge were grounded due to frozen bays, the province did not have helicopters contracted for northern Saskatchewan and STARS Air Ambulance was unavailable.

PBCN confirmed the couple is now safe.

PBCN says the provincial and federal governments need to address gaps in northern emergency response to prevent similar situations. It is calling for clear protocol for medical airlifts, better coordination between agencies and improved search and rescue and geography training for RCMP officers in remote regions.

“This incident shows that both levels of government must strengthen their emergency response responsibilities in the north,” said Chief Peter Beatty of PBCN.

In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatchewan RCMP says when officers were notified, it was dark and weather conditions were poor, with high winds, frigid temperatures and periods of heavy rain and snow. It says those conditions made boat and aerial searches too dangerous, and officers planned to search at first daylight.

The RCMP said it worked with the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) and planned to search on November 14, but poor weather caused delays.

That day, two groups of civilian searchers with local knowledge began looking for the couple, RCMP said.

CASARA began an aerial search the next day, but civilian searchers found the couple before the plane reached the area.

The Ministry of Health told CTV News there are two planes contracted through Rise Air to provide basic to intermediate air medical services in northern Saskatchewan, and that helicopter arrangements are made when needed.

It said the helicopter and medical crew arrived about four and a half hours after the SHA was notified.

It said all serious medical responses are reviewed to see if there were any gaps and to identify improvements.