Canada preparing for 'unprecedented' wildfire season, forecasts suggest

'Our modelling shows this may be an especially severe wildfire season throughout the summer,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says

Nationalpost.com
June 6, 2023
Bryan Passafiume

As a hazy orange pall of wildfire smoke hangs in the skies of Ottawa and much of southern Ontario, the Canadian government is gearing up for what it fears will be an unprecedented wildfire season -- with 10 times as much land burned so far this year compared with 10-year averages.

Speaking at a Monday noon-hour press conference on Parliament Hill, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that forecasts suggest Canada could be in for a historically bad fire summer, particularly in areas outside of Canada’s usual wildfire hotspots.

“Our modelling shows this may be an especially severe wildfire season throughout the summer,” Trudeau said.

That modelling, released Monday by the federal government, shows much of Canada facing well-above-average risk for wildfires this summer.

Crews have battled 2,214 wildfires burning just over three million hectares so far this wildfire season, which typically stretches from May until September.

Canada’s 10-year average usually sees 1,624 fires burning around 254,429 hectares during a typical season.

In June, nearly the entirety of western Canada is listed at a well-above average risk for wildfires, including nearly all of the Northwest Territories and northern Ontario, a large swath of southern Ontario from Windsor north through Toronto and the Golden Horseshoe, as well as extreme western portions of Quebec.

Forecasts for July and August are nearly as intense.

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair reported 413 wildfires currently burning across Canada, with 249 considered out of control.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Quebec is fighting 161 wildfires, with 69 in Alberta, 62 in B.C. and 45 in Ontario.

“The images we have seen so far this season are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada,” Blair told reporters.

“The current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.”

Monday saw air quality advisories issued across much of southern Ontario, courtesy of smoke billowing south from fires in Quebec.

While dealing with wildfires is a provincial responsibility, the federal government is providing varying levels of help, including over $300 million to provinces to procure firefighting equipment and conduct training.

Just under 200 interagency firefighters are deployed across Canada through mutual aid agreements, helped on the ground by 957 international firefighters from the United States, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

“We are expecting further deployments from these countries, including France, in the coming days and weeks,” Blair said, adding that additional crews from Costa Rica are also expected.

In addition, Blair announced that portions of the Canadian military are being dispatched to bolster firefighting efforts, including 150 soldiers each fighting blazes near Fox Creek and Fort Chipewyan in Alberta, and in fire-wreaked portions of Quebec.

Military ignition specialists are also heading to Nova Scotia, joining a 200-person rapid response team from the second battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment based out of CFB Gagetown, who just completed wildfire training.

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson described Monday’s new wildfire forecasts as “sobering,” saying that every province and territory across Canada will need to be on high alert.

“While this is not yet Canada’s most severe fire season, if this trajectory continues it very well could be,” he said.

More than 120,000 Canadians were forced from their homes so far this season, with 26,206 people currently under evacuation orders in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories.

Many, the prime minister said, only had a few hours to evacuate.

“Year after year, with climate change, we’re seeing more and more intense wildfires, and in places where they don’t normally happen,” Trudeau said.

Part of the government’s efforts includes training more firefighters across Canada, including partnerships with First Nations communities to hire and train wildland firefighters and fire guardians.

A donation matching program was set up through collaboration between the federal government and the province of Alberta, in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross -- turning every dollar donated into $3 in support of those in need.

In light of the portents of a particularly intense wildfire season, the prime minister said officials expect to have enough resources to battle this year’s fires -- the topic of a conversation he had on Friday with Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Wayne Eyre.

“If things get worse, we are developing contingency plans and we will of course make sure we are there,” Trudeau said.

“Whether it’s leaning more on international supports, whether it’s standing up other resources, we will be there to ensure that all Canadians are protected through the summer.”