The federal government says Canada is at risk of another devastating wildfire season, following an unusually warm winter, widespread drought conditions and a forecast of above-normal temperatures in the coming months.
Officials said during a technical briefing past Wednesday that drier, warmer weather is expected this spring and summer, putting much of the country at greater risk of wildfires.
Much of the country, including southern Quebec, eastern Ontario and western Canada, faces an early and higher-than-usual fire risk in April. The risks will extend into May and throughout the summer, although officials stressed that much depends on the level of precipitation during this period.
It is impossible to predict the summer ahead, but what is clear is that wildfires will pose a significant challenge for Canada in the future as the impacts of climate change continue to intensify. And the costs for Canadians are rising every year, said HarjitSajjan, federal Emergency Preparedness Minister.
Drought conditions, lower than usual snow accumulation
Last year, Canada experienced its worst wildfire season in history by a number of metrics, including total area burned. Then the winter months didn’t bring much relief.
There are currently more than 70 active fires in Canada, primarily in northern British Columbia, northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories, officials said.Many of those fires are remnant fires that have been burning since last year, including during the winter months.Dry conditions and unusually low levels of snow accumulation across much of the country have made forests more susceptible to new wildfires, officials said.
Map indicates extent and severity of the drought in Canada
According to government drought monitoring data, most of Manitoba will experience drought conditions.A map of the current drought situation from Agriculture Canada shows that much of the country is facing abnormally dry conditions.
The worst exceptional and extreme drought conditions are reported in parts of southern Alberta, central and northern British Columbia, and the southern Northwest Territories.
Canada also experienced its warmest winter on record: The three months from December to February were 5.2 degrees Celsius warmer than normal since Canada began keeping weather records in 1948, according to David Phillips, a climatologist at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Resources under pressure
Last year’s wildfires put a strain on resources. Canada brought about 5,500 foreign firefighters to the country to help fight the fires.Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said he is in talks with other countries to better share resources to fight bushfires.
The federal government also announced it plans to double the tax credit available to volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers in the upcoming budget.Ottawa said the move is aimed at rural communities, where firefighters are often volunteers and face increasingly frequent wildfires due to climate change caused by environmental pollution.The tax credit will increase from $3,000 to $6,000 for 2024 and subsequent tax years, allowing volunteer firefighters to save up to $900 per year.
