Ontario Premier Doug Ford says it is a “miracle” nobody has died in the 191 active wildfires currently ripping across the province, with 10 communities already forced to evacuate.
The premier held his first wildfire briefing in Toronto on Friday morning, promising his government would spare no expense trying to keep flames at bay across the north.
“No one has lost their lives. Thank God.”
Of the current fires, he said 81 were out of control and spreading without firefighters being able to stop them.
Ford said there were more than 150 crews in place to fight the fires with the support of helicopters and water bombers.
“Our government is working collaboratively across ministries and with a range of external partners to establish supports for people evacuating,” the premier said.
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“This includes transportation, accommodation, food and registration services. We’re also providing support with air purifiers and air scrubbers to help communities remain in place.”
The fires have prompted evacuation orders for several communities, including Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation.
One fast-moving blaze has damaged and destroyed homes and buildings on Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation, north of Thunder Bay.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre ranks Ontario as requiring assistance from other jurisdictions to fight its fires.
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After dozens of crews were sent from Alberta to Ontario on Wednesday, three more firefighting planes were moved from the province to assist Ontario on Thursday.
So far, Ontario — which has burned 638,000 hectares of land — has received help from almost 100 out-of-province crews, 14 aircraft and 100 pumps, according to the agency.
Opponents, however, said issues of low pay and instability within the fire program over the past decade have left the service struggling to respond.
“The worry is that because so many of the experienced firefighters have left in frustration, is that you have a lot of younger members and younger people with less experience who are actually leading these crews,” MPP Lise Vaugeois said.
“It’s not fair to them. It certainly puts them at risk in a way that they should never have to be at risk.”
Ford insisted there was plenty of funding for the program, adding he would fly to visit the affected areas on Saturday.
America is environmentally negligent as trumps policies promote the acceleration of global warming resulting in more extreme weather which results in more dry lighting storms that occur over dried out regions of North America resulting in increased forest fires. It is understandable that people with little or no intelligence cannot rationalize this.
So, there is this thing called data. The data says that we are having fewer fires thsn ever before but they are covering larger swaths of land.
We have also had an above average amount of rainfall in June.
Now please tell me how respinding to fewer fires results in smoke spreading across the country like never before.
Please, if you cannot supply data, no one cares about your emotiinal opinion, but how is this not a clear sign of government neglect or inaction?
Imagine what 10-16 billion the canadian government gives out yearly to other countries couks do fir Canadians.
There could be a water bomber and forestry division of the military with a 100 planes taking care of our forests and Canadians.
The pollution of the fires and the natural scrubbing of carbon the trees produce is more beneficial than the carbon grab tax.
The alcoholic brother of the crackhead former mayor of Toronto needs a geography lesson..
The Ontario fires are all situated in the LEAST POPULATED part of HIS province…unless he’s thinking about the black flies….I’m not saying lives aren’t/weren’t affected…but the man is about as intelligent as that pig eyed little handed convicted felon POTUS, sabotaging the USA for personal gain.
Perhaps you could open an atlas for once in your life Doug..instead of a liquor bottle
Ford has shirked his responsibility in forest fire prevention over the past several years, along with the federal Liberal governments. We are again a laughingstock across the world in forest management .
Fires and smoke filled skies will be more frequent and larger in the future that our children and their children will experience. Our lack of climate action will make it worst for them due to disinformation created by the MAGA cults.
Ford and Carney have totally dropped the ball and let this fire get out of control. Both should resign.
Then do a better job
Bring in the military