With the frequency of wildfires expected to intensify around the world, it could be increasingly difficult for countries like Canada to rely on foreign aid, warns Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
“Historically, generally, […] there were rarely fires everywhere at the same time and therefore we could help each other, ”he said Thursday in a press briefing, noting that the situation seems to be changing.
He also noted that heat records affect many countries. “And so the future is likely to be a future where there will be more and more of these disasters, in particular forest fires, argued the minister. This means that it will perhaps become more difficult to count on the help of our partners because they themselves will be caught up in major forest fires. »
Mr. Guilbeault assured that Canada is preparing to be better equipped to fight forest fires, while the year 2023 is a record year in terms of hectares burned.
He pointed out that Justin Trudeau’s government has made investments aimed at acquiring equipment and training personnel.
This year, France, Portugal, South Africa, the United States, Australia and New Zealand have all lent resources to help Canada.
On Thursday, Ottawa counted 885 active forest fires across the country, including 600 uncontrolled blazes.
The situation is particularly critical in British Columbia, where more than 350 fires are raging. The Donnie Creek fire broke the record for the largest fire area on its own at 5,831 km2 burned,” West Vancouver MP Patrick Weiler said.
“For reference, that’s bigger than the entire province of Prince Edward Island,” he said.
On the Belle Province side, the situation is particularly worrying in Nord-du-Québec, especially for the Cree communities of Wemindji, Waskaganish and Eastmain, located in James Bay, which have found themselves isolated due to road closures.
Minister Guilbeault mentioned that the Billy-Diamond road has been reopened. He added that measures had been taken and continued to be taken to ensure supplies to affected communities.