New Docuseries to Feature Saskatchewan’s Northern Emergency Responders

Feb 28

Creative Saskatchewan and Wavelength Entertainment, along with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), are celebrating the premiere of a new television docuseries Guardians of the North, which was filmed in the province.

The docuseries follows wildland firefighters in Saskatchewan’s Indigenous and northern communities while they protect the people, property, and resources of the north. The first of six episodes will air Tuesday March 7, 2023, at 10 p.m. CST on Citytv Saskatchewan.

“Protecting the north requires several partners working hand-in-hand to help mitigate, protect and respond when needed. Nobody can do it alone,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell said. “We are grateful for the highly trained men and women who dedicate themselves to providing the best protection possible in our province.”

Guardians of the North features personnel from the SPSA, Muskoday First Nations Fire Department and Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management (FNEM) as they train for and battle wildfires on the ground and from the air during the summer of 2022. The MCCAFE wildfire near Stanley Mission, which burnt more than 12,000 hectares, is featured in the show.

“It was an honour for us to embed with the brave men and women as they worked tirelessly battling fires in extreme conditions with the express goal of protecting the North,” said Chris Triffo, Producer for Guardians of the North. “We are grateful to have collaborated with SPSA, SFNEM, Creative Saskatchewan and City TV on this exciting docuseries.”

Guardians of the North was a recipient of Creative Saskatchewan’s Feature Film and TV Production grant. The $276,000 investment is expected to see an estimated $1.3 million of economic outputs back into Saskatchewan.

“We’re thrilled to be able to support this project,” says Erin Dean, CEO of Creative Saskatchewan, “The film industry has an inspiring ability to capture important stories and showcase our incredible landscape to the world through cinematography, and the 200 days of production activity have a positive impact on the local economy while creating jobs.”

“Productions like Guardians of the North are what many hoped to see when our government announced increased investments to grow our film industry last spring,” says Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross. “This is a Saskatchewan story through and through. Every $1 invested into this project is expected to generate an economic output of $4.65, resulting in a significant and lasting impact on Saskatchewan’s tourism, hospitality, and trade industries.”

The SPSA is a Treasury Board Crown that provides public safety services including fire safety training, investigation, emergency planning, response, recovery and emergency communications. The Agency operates Sask911, SaskAlert and the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre.

Creative Saskatchewan is the economic development agency for Saskatchewan’s creative industries and the official film commission for the province. The agency’s investments propel creative entrepreneurs as they create, perform, innovate, and export in their pursuit of commercial success.
Wavelength Entertainment is a full-service production / distribution company with offices located throughout Canada. Wavelength is dedicated to the creation of smart, imaginative and entertaining content for global audiences. The Emmy award winning team has worked together for over 20 years on programming that has been seen in 150 countries, 30 languages and hundreds of channels / platforms including Netflix, Amazon, Discovery +, CBC, Rogers, History, Smithsonian, ID, HBO, TLC and A&E.