Fedeli believes forest fire fighting funding is vital

Vic Fedeli believes support for forest fire management in Ontario and specifically the north is imperative. 

"I got a ride home a couple of weeks ago from Minister Graydon Smith, the minister of natural resources, I asked him and his answer was even more abrupt, 'we will spend every single penny that it takes to fight forest fires and keep our men and women safe, period.," said Fedeli on Friday during a media event at Canadore College. 

The Nipissing MPP was reacting to a new Community Emergency Preparedness Grant to help communities and organizations purchase critical supplies, equipment and deliver training and services to improve local emergency preparation and response which was announced on Friday. 

“We are making our province stronger and more resilient by helping communities prepare for emergencies,” said Caroline Mulroney, President of the Treasury Board, Minister responsible for Emergency Management Ontario and Minister of Francophone Affairs in a release.

“These prudent and targeted investments are another step this government is taking to ensure communities have the resources they need to keep people safe when the next flood, wildland fire, or severe storm impacts our province.”

Mulroney says funding will ensure communities can respond to any type of emergency and will be tailored to their unique needs. It can be put towards purchasing equipment such as sand bagging machines and generators or investing in emergency management training and awareness.

Back on October 12, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) Graydon Smith was in Timmins for a $20.5 million funding announcement to buy new aerial suppression technology, build capacity in Indigenous communities, recruit new staff, and invest in more research into the science behind wildland fire management. 

See related: $20.3 M going to forest fire management, rangers call for changes

See related: This Ontario city had the 2nd worst air quality in the world Sunday

It's been a very active forest fire season in Ontario. 

So far, there have been 738 fires, compared to 268 in 2022. The 10-year average is 685 fires.

Smoke from some of those fires caused multiple days of poor air quality in the North Bay area this summer. On June 26, 2023, North Bay's smoke pollution from forest fires was so poor that the city was ranked the second most polluted city on the planet for that day according to AQI. 

With files from Maija Hoggett and Jeff Turl