Canada must shift from reacting to wildfires to preparing for them. That means updating how and where infrastructure is built, how forests are managed and how emergency responses are supported.
Here are five key actions governments can take to reduce wildfire risk — noting that no single strategy can solve the problem by itself.
Stop encouraging building in harm’s way. Provinces and territories should establish policies to direct housing and infrastructure development, as well as public funding, from the highest-hazard wildfire zones to areas of lower risk. The federal government should support this by ensuring that housing and infrastructure funding is directed to low-risk locations. Governments also need to invest in wildfire-hazard mapping, which is incomplete or absent in most parts of Canada, to inform better decision-making.
Make new development fire-resilient. Programs such as FireSmart offer practical guidance to help communities reduce risk, from using fire-resistant materials to maintaining defensible space around homes. However, these programs are voluntary. Provincial and territorial governments should incorporate these principles into building codes and land-use policies. This would not only protect individual homes but also reduce the risk of fires spreading in communities.
Manage forests and reduce wildfire fuel. Provincial, territorial and federal governments should ramp up fuel management to reduce flammable vegetation in overgrown forests near communities. Fuel-management techniques that can lower wildfire intensity include fuel thinning, where trees and undergrowth are selectively removed, and prescribed fire, which is a planned fire that takes place under select weather conditions. Governments should also support the use of traditional Indigenous knowledge to manage fire, such as through cultural burning.
Strengthen firefighting capacity. Canada’s worsening wildfire seasons are stretching firefighting resources too thin. Remote and Indigenous communities are particularly exposed but often have less capacity to respond. Governments should increase funding for wildland firefighting and emergency response, and improve co-ordination to manage multiple concurrent fires. Adequate compensation and support would also help retain skilled wildland firefighters.
Cut carbon pollution to avoid runaway risk. The faster Canada cuts its carbon emissions, the more damage we can avoid. Limiting global warming to 2 C above pre-industrial levels can prevent the most catastrophic impacts.
Governments at all levels face a clear choice: continue with business as usual and see fire seasons grow worse or take bold action to reduce risk, protect people and ensure public resources are spent wisely. The answer is clear.
Today’s supercharged wildfires require far more government planning and preparation
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