People who lost their livelihoods in the Kenow wildfire are calling for an inquiry to examine the response to the September blaze. A citizen coalition of effected land owners brought the issue to Livingstone-Macleod MLA Pat Stier, who vocalized it provincially on Wednesday.
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During question period at the legislature, Stier directed the question at Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Oneil Carlier.
“Previous wildfire events have led to such inquires. Will your ministry be conducting a formal Inquiry that covers all aspects of the Kenow fire?” Stier asked.
Carlier didn’t commit to anything, but didn’t shoot the idea down.
“I think it’s a worthwhile suggestion,” Carlier replied. “And certainly we’ll look into it, and talk to my officials to see what we can learn from this.”
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Jennifer Jenkins is one of the land owners spearheading the citizen coalition. She lost three houses, a small cabin and two barns in the Kenow fire. She’s hoping to get some answers from a potential inquiry.
“Things such as the communication, the preparedness for the fire,” Jenkins said. “How it was handled in the day of the fire and following that.
“We’re wanting to see some accountability on how it was handled.”
If an inquiry does take place, Jenkins hopes it will spark positive change.
“Whether it’s a fire, or some other natural disaster, or emergency in our community we sure hope that especially locally we are better prepared to face a challenge like this again.”