Sentencing for man who admitted to starting 2025 Sask. wildfire moved to August

Jason Halkett leaves a makeshift courtroom at the Montreal Lake Band Office on June 4, 2026. (Laura Woodward/CTV News)

The sentencing for a man who admitted to starting a massive Saskatchewan wildfire has been rescheduled to August.

The Ditch 2 fire was first reported on May 26, 2025, in the hamlet of Wayakwin. The wildfire burned more than 200,000 hectares of forest and threatened communities in the La Ronge area.

Jason Halkett, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of arson causing damage to property.

Halkett’s sentencing hearing was expected on Thursday, but the defence requested an adjournment to complete a Gladue report.

“The writers suggested that they’d be able to finish by the end of July, so we’re looking at an August date for sentencing,” Halkett’s lawyer, Evan Strelioff, told the judge.

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A Gladue report outlines an Indigenous offender’s background and the systemic factors that may have contributed to their involvement in the criminal justice system to help inform an appropriate sentence.

“Just for the record, the Crown is opposed to the adjournment for the Gladue report,” Crown Prosecutor Robyn Ermine said.

Ermine argued the Gladue information could have been included in the pre-sentence report that was requested on May 7.

The judge noted the pre-sentence report is court-ordered, while Halkett’s Gladue report is being prepared privately.

The sentencing hearing was rescheduled to Aug. 20.

At that time, the judge is expected to hear victim impact statements from community leaders, property owners and firefighters before deciding an appropriate sentence.

The offence carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.