Ontario Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris provided an update Tuesday on wildland fires that have been burning across the province for the past month.
Joined by Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response Jill Dunlop and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation Greg Rickford, Harris shared figures related to response and relief operations involved in fighting the largest fire the province has experienced.
“We have the largest fire on record here in Ontario, which at its biggest was around 350,000 hectares,” Harris said. “So, to put that into perspective, that's about 350,000 football fields.”
Or approximately 900,000 acres.
As fire suppression continues across Ontario, Harris said there were 152 active fires as of Tuesday, with 12 not under control. More than 150 provincial fire crews, including helicopters and water bombers, continue to coordinate with partners across Canada and North America to support emergency and relief efforts in combating the complex fires.
The wildland fires have now shrunk by 60,000 hectares, or approximately 148,000 acres. With more than 160 fires declared out, Harris acknowledged there is more work to be done but said progress is being made.
“While we're not in the clear here in Ontario yet, the progress we're making in containing these fires is allowing some implementation and evacuation orders to be lifted, which is great news, so that communities are able to get back home,” he said.
Rickford said repatriation remains a top priority for the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation, despite the complexity of the effort.
“I can speak to what's going on more frequently now, and that's repatriation,” Rickford said. “It's incredibly stressful, and we remain engaged on the ground through text, through phone calls, and the likes as communities come back to their homes. It can be quite unsettling.”
A major concern addressed during the update was criticism surrounding the government’s response in First Nations communities affected by the wildfires.
Rickford said the government has doubled its efforts to address the needs of First Nations communities during the crisis. Dunlop said there have been ongoing efforts to assist affected communities, including 113 coordination calls with First Nation chiefs, community leaders and officials.
“I want to reiterate that our government is committed to supporting affected communities for as long as needed,” Dunlop said. “To date, we have delivered 312 air purifiers, five air scrubbers, and 84 replacement filters to help five First Nation communities remain in their communities. Deployed Feed Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, to transport and distribute food.”
Harris also responded to comments regarding the frustration and anger of impacted residents who say evacuations and warnings came too late. He said the way the fires erupted made them difficult to track.
“The amount of fires that started in a very short time frame, we were already fighting fires in the province, and then trying to track those fires, the new starts make it extremely challenging,” Harris said.
Harris said the remote locations of some fires and communities also make it difficult to evacuate residents or issue warnings. He advised communities to remain vigilant and evacuate, if necessary, even if no official warning has been issued.
“If you see fires starting and you're able to evacuate, you should do it,” Harris said. “You don't necessarily have to wait for the MNR or the government to come in and say you better get out. Folks in the landscape know their communities better than anybody else.”
Harris acknowledged the severity of the loss residents have experienced but also emphasized the positive side of the disaster.
“Folks that have lost cottages, personal belongings, their homes, businesses, it's absolutely terrible," he said. "But at the same time — no loss of life. It's extremely important to remember.”
Harris said safety remains the province’s top priority as the fight against fires continues.
