Jason Halkett is escorted from the band hall at Montreal Lake Cree Nation on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026 (Image Credit: Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Arson

Wildfire arsonist sentencing postponed again

Sep 3, 2026 | 2:18 PM

For the fourth time since a guilty plea was entered last April, the sentencing hearing for the man responsible for sparking a massive wildfire in Northern Saskatchewan has been postponed.

Jason Halkett, 29, of La Ronge, appeared Thursday morning at the Montreal Lake Cree Nation circuit court. The reasons cited for the postponement to Sept. 17 were a busy docket and the realization the contested sentencing hearing will be very lengthy.

(Image Credit: File photo/ paNOW Staff)

The Ditch 2 fire was started May 26, 2025 near Weyakwin and burned over 200,000 hectares of forest. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency determined the wildfire was human caused and Waskesiu RCMP then began a criminal investigation. On Aug. 27, 2025, Halkett was arrested in Saskatoon.

As a result of the wildfire, the northern hamlet of Weyakwin was placed under a mandatory immediate evacuation and three days later, an evacuation alert was triggered for Timber Bay as the fire spread on the east side of Montreal Lake.

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A pre-evacuation alert was also issued for Molanosa.

The 2025 wildfire season was the worst in Saskatchewan’s history, with more than 500 fires burning nearly three million hectares, and over 10,000 people evacuated from more than 50 communities.

According to a report done by the provincial auditor, the wildfire response in 2025 cost more than $350 million, and included 916 out of province workers who cost between two and five times more than staff firefighters.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

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by Nigel Maxwell

Wildfire arsonist sentencing postponed again

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