As new wildfires across Northwestern Ontario continue to light up, provincial ads aimed at curbing the significant role humans play in causing the fires have begun popping up in community newspapers and other forums.
But it’s not yet clear if Ontario officials have been conducting the same type of intense enforcement blitz that occurred in British Columbia last month.
An Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) spokesman said on Thursday “proactive patrols by MNR conservation officers are conducted in areas subjected to a (restricted fire zone), and may include public education, warnings, and enforcement actions, including charges where warranted.”
In Ontario, regulations allow for stiff individual fines — up to $50,000, or jail time — for those convicted of lighting an outdoor fire when a restricted fire zone is in effect.
There was no immediate word on the amount of tickets that may have been issued in Ontario so far this season to those suspected of violating wildfire-prevention regulations.
Last month’s effort in B.C. amounted to $22,000 in fines alone.
In an ad that appeared in The Chronicle-Journal on Saturday, the Ontario government noted that half of wildfires in the province last year were sparked by human activity.
Though the ads may seem new to some, geared toward the current wildfire crisis, the ministry spokesman said they’re not.
“This is not a new initiative,” he said. “The ministry uses advertising, among other public education tools, when a restricted fire zone is in effect, to help reduce the risk of human-caused fires.”
The ministry “is reinforcing this fire safety message through public communication, including ads in community papers,” the MNR spokesman added. “Prevention is one of the most effective ways to reduce risk.”
Some local firefighting officials said they are glad to see the province’s messaging about prevention any time, but said it needs to be promoted earlier in the wildfire season next year.
“While public education is always valuable, I’m encouraged to see these messages being shared now,” said Neebing Emergency Services spokeswoman Fawn Cheesman.
“I think this season has reinforced for all of us the importance of getting prevention and education messages out early, before wildfire activity ramps up,” Cheesman added.
Though the Ford government maintains the province “is sparing no expense to support those on the front lines of the fire response,” critics suggest a future approach to combatting wildfires needs to be broader in scope.
“The best thing the Ford government could do is properly fund wildfire preparedness and management on a yearly basis, as opposed to just providing emergency funding after fires have already started,” Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said in an email.
“That way,” Schreiner added, “our crews can be staffed properly and ready to respond before fires become out of control.”
Currently, the MNR begins with a base budget, then is supported by a contingency fund once officials have a better handle on how severe, or mild, a wildfire season is shaping up to be.
The 2025 “interim” firefighting budget was pegged at $271 million, the MNR says. Final costs are expected to be available later this year.
Meanwhile, in a news release on Wednesday, Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler faulted the provincial government for not taking enough actions early enough as had been recommended in a previous auditor-general’s report about the province’s wildfire strategy.
“The province had the time and every opportunity to act,” Fiddler said in the news release. “But it did not deliver, and we are living with the consequences in this unprecedented crisis, with some (Indigenous) communities forced to evacuate on their own with little to no notice.”
NAN has called for a full public inquiry into the state of the province’s wildfire fighting approach and capabilities. The province has said only a regular post-fire-season review is required.
