Ford urges more federal assistance to fight wildfires across Canada

Article content

PICKERING — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is urging the federal government to put more national resources toward fighting wildfires, as nearly every province battles them.

Premiers raised the issue with Prime Minister Mark Carney last month when he met with them in Huntsville, he said.

“We need resources, national resources across the country, because it happens frequently,” Ford said. “We send firefighters in, we send equipment in and help each other, but right now … everywhere seems to have issues, every single province.”

Provinces frequently share firefighting resources to get through wildfire season but right now there isn’t enough equipment or crews to go around, Ford said.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt asked Ontario for help in fighting their wildfires, but Ontario could not spare any water bombers, having already sent two of them to Newfoundland along with four crews, Ford said.

Ontario has sent two helicopters to New Brunswick, where there are 13 active fires, Ford’s office later said. Ontario has also sent an incident management team to Saskatchewan.

The province has ordered more water bombers, Ford said, but it could take three to four years for them to arrive because so many other jurisdictions are making purchases too.

There have been 467 fires to date this year in Ontario, far more than 275 at this time last year, but under the 10-year average of 583.

Ontario’s fires include wildfires in Kawartha Lakes, a region of cottage country, where one is now classified as being held while another is still out of control.

Conditions are extremely dry, and Kawartha Lakes is one of many municipalities with fire and burning bans in place.