NDP Urges Ford Government to Reverse Cuts as Northern Ontario Wildfires Force Evacuations

QUEEN’S PARK — As wildfires burn across the province, the Official Opposition NDP are calling on the Ford government to reverse cuts to wildland firefighting 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,” said Stiles.

“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.”

The Shadow Minister for Natural Resources and Forestry, Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk-James Bay) and MPP Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay-Superior North) 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,” added Vaugeois. “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.”

ADDITIONAL QUOTE:

“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”

• Noah Freedman OPSEU Local Vice President and Ontario Wildfire Crew Leader

BACKGROUND:

Thousands of residents, including families in Sandy Lake and Deer Lake First Nations, and Webequie First Nations are being evacuated as wildfires threaten homes and critical infrastructure. First responders and Canadian Armed Forces personnel are conducting emergency airlifts and structure protection.

Just last month, the Ford government cut $42 million from Ontario’s wildland firefighting budget, and nearly $4 million from emergency preparedness.

The Official Opposition is calling on the government to:

• Reverse the $42 million cut to wildland firefighting and the $4 million cut to emergency preparedness to restore the capacity needed to respond
• Immediately scale up support to impacted communities, including transportation, lodging, and health services for evacuees
• Communicate clearly and transparently with affected regions
• Invest in long-term wildfire prevention, emergency response capacity, and infrastructure for northern and fly-in communities