Ottawa is openly acknowledging the infrastructure deficit in the North as they caution wildfires could continue to burn well into winter.
Ministers made several comments about infrastructure in the North during a phone-in press conference Sept. 7 from Ottawa where Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced the federal government and GNWT have agreed on a deal to provide $28 million in funding for future wildfire fighting.
Funds are to be allocated over five years towards the training and hiring of personnel and purchasing equipment to safeguard against future wildfires. They are part of a $265 million deal between the federal government, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. This is in addition to $28 million announced earlier in the year to specifically build wildfire fighting capacity in Indigenous communities.
“We have signed agreements with Canada for 10 pilot projects with Indigenous communities, as well as with the International Association of Firefighters to help train up to 630 additional firefighters and 125 Indigenous fire guardians all across Canada this year alone,” said Wilkinson.
As of Sept. 6, a total of 16.5 million hectares of forest has been burned by wildfires, blowing past previous records. Individual records of 3.6 million hectares burned in the Northwest Territories, 5.6 million in Quebec, 2.3 million in Alberta and 25,000 in Nova Scotia have also been set — and the season isn’t done yet.
Citing government wildfire projections released earlier by Ottawa in the day, Wilkinson cautioned that wildfire season was far from over due to the warming climate. He said fires currently burning could continue into September and even through winter and new wildfires could spark in eastern Alberta all the way to central Ontario in that time frame.
“Wildfires have always occurred in Canada,” he said. “But what is new is their frequency and their intensity. The science is clear. The root cause of this is climate change.
“There is a simple fact that governments first priority must be to protect Canadians lives and livelihoods and increasingly this starts with accepting the scientific reality of climate change and taking thoughtful, impactful action to address it.”
Feds acknowledge infrastructure gap in NWT
Crediting his current Liberal government for “record breaking investments,” Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal said the federal government was working to reverse a decades-long deficit in infrastructure and development in the North and is looking for solutions.
“This year’s record wildfire season in the Northwest Territories has underlined a chronic underfunding of infrastructure in the territories by previous governments,” said Vandal. “We remain committed to working with our territorial partners and addressing these infrastructure gaps in the long term.”
Adding that Service Canada is providing $113 million for Indigenous people communities affected by the wildfires and evacuations, Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu acknowledged the decades long deficit of infrastructure development in the Northwest Territories made the challenge of recovering from the disaster financially and mentally that much greater for Northerners.
“Wildfires and other natural disasters have become more frequent and more severe and more prolonged in recent years and often in First Nations communities that are on the frontlines,” she said. “Issues that matter to Canadians that I’ve been hearing about this summer (are) things like the opportunity for the North to grow its economy and the challenges that people are having in post COVID recovery and economic recovery.
“What we can all do to accelerate things like ensuring more affordable housing.”
Hajdu added that over 19 First Nations have been impacted by wildfires in 2023.
Feds say relief cash is flowing
In the same press conference, Minister of Employment Randy Boissonnault reminded people the federal Employment Insurance program is fast-tracking applicants based on their postal code to ensure applicants from evacuated communities are able to access payments as soon as possible. He noted Service Canada was not requiring Records of Employment for evacuees and said anyone who cannot access a Service Canada office in person to phone 1-877-631-2657 to get assistance. He also encouraged people under evacuation to sign up for direct deposit so they can access money faster.
Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit S. Sajjan said relief funds for the NWT and other areas affected by the wildfires is being processed through the Disaster Financial Assistance program. This reimburses provincial and territorial governments for up to 90 per cent of their expenses.
Revenue Canada has previously told NNSL that days outside the Northwest Territories due to the evacuation will not be counted against the Northern Tax Benefit come tax season.
From his hometown in Fort Providence, NWT MP Michael McLeod thanked Yukon and the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba for hosting evacuees from the territory and called the $28 million deal for wildfire fighting “welcome news.”
”I have to say that words cannot express how grateful northerners are to the people who have been working to assist our territory during this very difficult time,” he said. “It is very difficult fire season and the support from the Canadian Armed Forces and from firefighters across Canada that came to our region to support our local firefighters have been critically important as the assistance provided by CAF on logistics to the territories Emergency Management Organization.
“I also want to thank those communities primarily in Alberta, but in other provinces and territories that have opened their doors to Northerners over the recent weeks.
“Your kindness and generosity will not be forgotten by our territory.”