Wildfires a ‘stark reminder’ of climate perils as minister vows $82M boost

Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season ever, with nearly 10 million hectares burned, and now volunteer organizations helping in the fight will get an $82-million funding boost.

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair made the announcement on Tuesday, pointing to the still-growing scope of the devastation.

“An area nearly the size of Newfoundland has already burned so far this year. It is a stark reminder that the frequency and severity of climate-related disasters are growing each year,” Blair said.

Groups receiving the money include the Canadian Red Cross, St. John’s Ambulance, the Salvation Army and the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada.

The Canadian Red Cross historically has focused its disaster relief efforts overseas, according to CEO Conrad Sauvé. He says responding to disasters in Canada was an exception, but that has changed dramatically in the past 10 years.

“The Calgary floods, Fort McMurray wildfires, B.C. fires, floods in Quebec and Ontario, hurricanes in Atlantic Canada. The vast majority of the Canadian Red Cross response efforts are now domestically focused,” Sauvé said.

“We can no longer treat these events as exceptional. We must increase our standing capacity to respond to events in Canada.”

2:05 Residents urged to be fire smart amid hot, dry conditions

Much of this funding will go toward helping the organizations ensure they are ready to respond to increasingly frequent disasters. This includes training and retaining volunteers, plus buying equipment.

The funding will be doled out over the next three years, and Blair says it will begin flowing immediately. This brings the total amount of money Canada has contributed to non-governmental organizations to assist in disaster relief to $166.9 million this year.

The increased frequency of these disasters is only adding to the complexity of helping those impacted. Sauvé pointed to housing shortages making it harder to find shelter for displaced people.

“I think this is a new reality that has increased quite a bit,” he said.

0:36 ‘Very high’ risk of wildfires continuing in Canada this summer: Blair

Insurance broker Intact Financial Corp. on Monday released its second-quarter catastrophic loss estimate, pegging the damage so far at $421 million.

The insurer says nearly half of the losses in Canada are attributable to the wildfires. Other key events in Canada include the flooding and ice storm in Quebec earlier in the spring.

Blair says flooding is typically the most expensive insurable disaster that Canada sees.

However, many Canadians who live in areas prone to flooding can’t get insurance, and he said he hopes to have an announcement on a promised national flood insurance program in the next nine to 12 months.