TORONTO – More than 200 fires are still burning across Canada, making the situation extremely urgent and a source of political controversy in Ontario. As flames rage across several areas of the province, the official NDP opposition is indeed calling on the government led by Doug Ford “to reverse cuts to forest firefighting efforts and acknowledge the crisis in the province’s wildfire program…”.

“This is devastating. People are being forced to flee their homes and entire communities are in crisis. People are scared, displaced, and breathing smoke, and the Ford government is nowhere to be found after cutting $42 million from wildfire response and nearly $4 million from emergency preparedness” wrote Marit Stiles, provincial NDP leader, in a press release, published today. “We are deeply grateful to the frontline responders, wildland firefighters, and military teams working around the clock to protect lives. But it shouldn’t take federal intervention for this government to act” she added, referring to the Ottawa government’s deployment of military personnel to support the evacuations of the First Nations communities from Deer Lake, Sandy Lake and Webequie in Ontario.

The Shadow Minister for Natural Resources and Forestry, Guy Bourgouin, and MPP Lise Vaugeois are calling on the Ford Government to heed wildland firefighters’ calls to address the underfunding crisis. “Wildland firefighters are on the front lines defending our communities and resources with understaffed teams and insufficient equipment” added Bourgouin. “They have been warning us for years about crisis-level underfunding. Time is running out and the Premier needs to listen to wildland firefighters and make the investments we need to protect our province…”.

“Premier Ford is still pretending everything is okay while our communities are being threatened and evacuated due to out-of-control fires. Wildland firefighters have been sounding the alarm for years only to be ignored by this government. It’s time for Premier Ford to invest in our wildland fire program, pay living wages, and actually Protect Ontario” added Vaugeois.

Also raising the alarm is Noah Freedman, vice-president of OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) Local 703 and Ontario Wildfire Crew Leader. “The communities of Deer Lake, Sandy Lake and Webequie First Nations should never have been threatened or evacuated. This failure to fund the wildfire program and protect the people of Ontario is solely the responsibility of Premier Ford. We have spoken personally with Premier Ford’s staff and warned them for years of the disaster that was imminent; The people of Ontario and our evacuated communities are the ones who have are forced to face the consequences” he said.

Another issue about wildfires is raised by Forests Canada, a non-profit charity dedicated to the long-term health of Canada’s forested landscapes and economy: it’s the question of “what happens next” and how to try to prevent similar emergency situations in the future. “Wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe, forests are being devastated, and communities are facing increased fire risks. As a result, we need new tree planting and fire management adaptation strategies” wrote Forests Canada on Twitter X. Some of these possible strategies, Forests Canada points out, emerged during two events where experts discuss the topic of restoring forests: in both (recent) “webinars”, it emerged that successful wildfire recovery requires a combined approach of growing diverse, resilient forests and creating fire-adapted communities.

“The message from both events – as stated in a press release from the organization, available in full here – was clear: wildfire recovery must go beyond planting trees. It is a complex, climate-informed, culturally grounded process that requires long-term vision, science, and deeper engagement with Indigenous-led practices. Success depends on our willingness to learn from every burn, collaborate across knowledge systems and communities, and adapt as climate and fire regimes evolve”.

In the pic above, a forest hit by a wildfire (photo from Twitter X – @forestscanada)