QUEEN'S PARK – Ontario NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin, (Mushkegowuk – James Bay) Critic for Natural Resources and Forestry issued the following statement on the numerous forest fires currently burning across the province:
The current pace at which wildfires are spreading across Canada, especially Ontario, is alarming. Last year there was a total of 81 forest fires reported in the province, already 254 fires were reported in 2023. That is a 69 % climb in one year. The government's only response has been to shift blame onto campers and lightning strikes while overlooking the larger environmental crisis at hand.
When the Ford government took over, they opened the Greenbelt for development, cancelled 700 renewable energy contracts, and left us with 50 fewer fire crews while reducing their budget by 67%. These actions took us backwards in the fight against climate change and have left us less prepared for these increasingly common extreme conditions.
Ontarians, particularly those affected in the North, should expect more from this government. To protect Ontarians against this environmental crisis the Ford Government must take accountability and develop a plan. We will see more out-of-control wildfire seasons in the future unless this government is prepared to act.