As fire season progresses, Ontario is seeing an increased number of new wildland fires across the North. The Ministry of Natural Resources has deployed several hundred highly trained Ontario wildland firefighters, supported by 50 aircraft including helicopters and waterbombers, to protect people and communities. These firefighters and pilots are working tirelessly in challenging conditions. We extend our sincere thanks to all fire crews, pilots, support staff, emergency responders and municipalities across the province supporting evacuees.
The federal government, as well as the government of Alberta and the Yukon have resources on the ground here in Ontario to support our fire response. Along with the Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response, we are coordinating with impacted communities to ensure safe evacuation efforts.
Since 2018, we have nearly doubled the base funding for forest firefighting and are making record investments in our province’s air fleet. We have also increased compensation for critical staff like our fire fighters and pilots and added over 170 new positions to our fire service.
For up-to-date information, visit Ontario.ca/forestfires or call the Northeast Region at 1-888-220-7242 or the Northwest Region at 1-888-258-8842. For questions on evacuation orders, please reach out to the Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response at Sara.Escarraga@ontario.ca
Included in this kit is reactive messaging to support with inquires from constituents. We also ask you to share Premier Ford’s video on your social channels.
Key Messages
- Ontario’s world-class fire and emergency response crews are actively working alongside partners across the Northwest to respond to fires in the Fort Frances, Thunder Bay, Dryden, Nipigon and Sioux Lookout.
- Several hundred highly-trained Ontario wildland firefighters are being supported by nearly 50 aircraft, including helicopters and waterbombers.
- Our government extends our sincere thanks to all fire crews, pilots, support staff, emergency responders and municipalities across the province supporting evacuees.
- We are coordinating with impacted communities to ensure safe evacuation efforts and will continue to dedicate all the resources necessary to respond to these fires and keep people safe.