Dr. Robert Henry is the NPI of the Saskatchewan NEIHR (SK-NEIHR). Dr. Henry is Métis from Prince Albert Saskatchewan. He currently holds a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Justice and Wellbeing. In 2025 Dr. Henry, who also leads The National Coordinating Centre of the Network Environments of Indigenous Health Research with support from Dr. Chelsea Gabel, Scientific Director of the Institute of Indigenous Peoples Health (IIPH), received  $1.5 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies. These funds have been allocated to improve wildfire responses in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

“The wildfires this summer led to over 40,000 residents being evacuated across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, displacing individuals from their communities for extended periods of time. And when they were finally able to go back, many found their communities, as well as old logging and trapping places, burnt to the ground” (USask Research)

Through strong connections to First Nations and Métis communities that Dr. Henry and colleagues have built through years of relationship building, research projects that evaluate the impacts of wildfires and evacuations will be undertaken. This approach centres the needs of each community as they are defined by each community.

Rapid Research is a relatively new concept and approach. Through this grant, Dr. Henry and colleagues are able to conduct research in more rapid manner. Conducting research in a more rapid manner is necessary in times of large-scale crisis like that created by natural disasters.

Each summer Saskatchewan and Manitoba communities experience wildfires. These fires burn down homes, community facilities, and cause deaths. In addition, wildfires also force people to flee to safety. This means that people are being separated from loved ones, from their homes, and being displaced and often times stuck in other communities throughout the province. The traumas caused by the wildfires last long after fires have been put out and communities and homes have been rebuilt. As well, the devastation and loss caused by wildfires isn’t a once in a lifetime event, it’s seasonal.

This funding comes from a grant held by the NEIHR National Coordinating Centre to conduct rapid response research into the impacts of wildfires and other emergencies on Indigenous communities. Applications for the funds are currently open and the application deadline is March 1^st, 2026. Available are funds up to $20,000 for First Nations and Métis communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba impacted by the 2025 wildfire season. This includes communities who were evacuated, and host communities where evacuees were relocated during an evacuation.

For full application details, click here.

Wildfires are an ongoing and escalating reality for many First Nations and Métis communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, bringing with them disruption, loss, and long-lasting trauma. Through this $1.5 million investment from Canadian Institutes of Health Research and its Institute of Indigenous Peoples Health, and under the leadership of Dr. Robert Henry and the Saskatchewan NEIHR, rapid response wildfire research offers a timely, community-centred approach to understanding and addressing these impacts. By prioritizing Indigenous leadership, relationship-based research, and rapid methods suited to crisis contexts, this work supports meaningful, responsive action that is shaped by the needs and knowledge of affected communities themselves. As applications remain open for additional community-led projects, this initiative represents an important opportunity to strengthen wildfire response, recovery, and resilience across Saskatchewan and Manitoba.