Ontario short forest firefighters as over a dozen wildfires are reported, union says
More than a dozen wildfires have been reported in Ontario and the union representing forest firefighters says their crews are still short about 25 per cent of their staff.
As of April 29, there have been 14 wildfires recorded in Ontario. This is in comparison to the two fires recorded at the same point last year.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“I think what we’re seeing is really an above normal fire activity in the spring months,” Gordon McBean, professor of geography and environment at Western University, told CTV News Toronto. “We’ve had a relatively warm winter."
The ten-year average of forest fires reported by April 29 in a year is 12.
Noah Freedman, vice president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 703 and a provincial forest fire crew leader, said the province is still missing about 25 per cent of its firefighting staff.
“Ontario is supposed to have 800 firefighters, which represents 200 fire crews,” Freedman told CTV News Toronto. “The more crews we have, the more incidents people can respond to at one time. It’s not uncommon in a bad fire season to have … 12 fires in one area when you wake up in the morning.”
“If you don’t have enough, you have to decide what burns and what doesn’t.”
A wildfire burns in a forest near the town of Cochrane, Ont., in a June 6, 2023, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
A spokesperson for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry’s Office says that 630 fire crew positions have been filled and said it was “well within” their recruitment range.
“Hiring and onboarding will continue throughout April and May,” Melissa Candelaria said in a statement.
Doubling of resources needed in 20 years: Union
The province has pledged to hire 100 permanent positions within the wildland fire program, however, it’s unclear what those recruits will be doing.
When asked by CTV News Toronto, the government said that “work is underway to finalize what this will look like for the program.”
“These positions will contribute to building leadership and experience within our wildland fire program by adding new year-round positions that will support career path opportunities for fire rangers and other staff.”
Officials say they are working to fill the positions as soon as possible, with hiring starting in the next few months.
“The increase in firefighting positions and incentives reflects our ongoing efforts to strengthen Ontario's wildfire program, rather than indicating specific expectations for this fire season,” Candelaria said.
“This is part of a series of changes the government has made to deliver more support for fire rangers and the northern communities that rely on them.”
The Progressive Conservatives have also offered up to $5,000 in retention incentives for front-line fire, aviation and critical support positions to support the 2024 fire season. However, Freedman says those incentives have become rather divisive, as not everyone is getting the full amount.
“What ended up happening was that they decided certain people were more valuable than others. Some people are getting a $5,000 bonus and others $1,000, and that’s created quite a bit of animosity among staff.”
In this file photo, a forest fire burns in northwestern Ontario. (Twitter/Ontario Forest Fires)
Freedman suggests that Ontario may need to double its firefighting resources in the next 20 years if the climate trajectory continues as it is.
“If anything happens, we aren’t ready,” he said.
McBean noted that fires and climate from previous years can have an impact on an upcoming wildfire season.
“Although 2023 was the warmest year on record, the general sense is that 2024 could be at least as warm, if not warmer, again.”
Earlier this month Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan warned that Ontario, as well as Alberta and British Columbia, could see a lengthier and "explosive" wildfire season.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are "standing and intact," including its iconic main lodge.
Major Canadian bank dealing with direct deposit outage on pay day
Scotiabank has acknowledged technical difficulties affecting direct deposits as clients report missed payments Friday morning. On Friday morning, the bank's client services phone line was playing an automated message assuring customers that work was underway to rectify the outage.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.
Reported rate of child pornography increased 52% in 2023, total crime up 3%: Statistics Canada
Last year, reported child pornography cases increased by more than 50 per cent in Canada, in part due to more cases being sent to police by specialized internet child exploitation units, according to a Statistics Canada report.
Sask. appeal court says anti-trans group cannot join constitutional dispute over pronoun law
Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal has denied a political group that opposes so-called “gender ideology” intervener status in a legal dispute over the province’s controversial pronoun law.
Justin Timberlake's attorney disputes he was intoxicated when arrested for DWI
A hearing in the case of Justin Timberlake being accused of driving while intoxicated was held Friday, where an attorney for the singer disputed his arrest in June.
What we know about 'malicious' attack on French train network ahead of Olympics opening
French transport was thrust into chaos Friday just hours ahead of the Olympics 2024 opening ceremony after a series of co-ordinated 'malicious acts' upended high-speed train lines.Here's what happened and what we know so far.
When Barbie learned what a gynecologist was, so did many other people, according to new study
A new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open has found that the ending in the 2023 blockbuster film 'Barbie' had an influence on online search interest in terms around gynecology, the branch of medicine that deals with women’s reproductive health.
Canada Soccer head investigating 'systemic ethical shortcoming' amid spying scandal
Canada Soccer chief executive officer Kevin Blue said he was investigating a potential 'systemic ethical shortcoming' within the program but has not considered pulling the women's soccer team from the Paris Olympics due to a drone spying scandal.