Amid Northern Ontario wildfires, Doug Ford defends firefighting budget as critics say staffing hasn't kept pace with changing fire seasons

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has faced criticism regarding the province's firefighting budget as wildfires intensify due to climate change. Despite increasing funding, experts argue that staffing levels remain inadequate to address the changing fire seasons.¹⁶⁷

Ford stated, “We would never underfund our firefighters ever — never ever. We’ve more than doubled the base funding for emergency firefighting,” during a recent event. However, budget documents reveal that the province spent $271 million on wildfires last year, significantly exceeding the $135 million budgeted amount. This year, only $85 million has been allocated for emergency firefighting.²³

Critics like Jeremy Rouse, OPSEU chair for Ministry of Natural Resources employees, emphasize that “the fact is that Ontario’s fire seasons have changed, but our staffing hasn’t kept pace.” Experts warn that the growing wildfire threat is largely driven by climate change, with Mike Flannigan, a fire science researcher, stating, “This is a new reality. There is going to be more fire and smoke in the future.” Flannigan advocates for early intervention, noting that “if you get resources to the fire within that 30 minutes, you generally can put it out.”⁴⁸

To better protect communities, experts suggest proactive measures such as creating firebreaks and using fire-resistant materials. “We know exactly what to do. We just really don’t do it,” said McGillivray. Flannigan also calls for an early warning system to allocate resources to high-risk areas before fires ignite, questioning if the current approach is sufficient.⁹¹⁰