The Prairies on fire: a call to action amid devastation

Opinion

Last week, my partner and I took our two-year-old daughter to Assiniboine Park. She played in the sandbox with a little girl about her age, while her mother and grandparents sat nearby, anxiously refreshing wildfire updates from their home in Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Cross Lake — evacuated because of encroaching flames and thick smoke.

I imagined what it must feel like for that family, suddenly uprooted, their world turned upside down.

The next day, I heard of another fire threatening a First Nation in Northern Manitoba we work alongside at my workplace. Community members tried to find safe places for evacuees, but every hotel room was already booked.

Three weeks ago, as Winnipeg became the hottest place on earth at 37 C, I worried about my aunt and uncle in Lac du Bonnet, while feeling the weight of heat exhaustion in a city surrounded by smoke. Over 17,000 Manitobans are needing to evacuate from their homes. Two people from Lac du Bonnet lost their lives.

More than 100 wildfires are burning — surpassing the 20-year average of 75 for this time of year. Nearly 200,000 hectares have gone up in flames, almost triple the province’s five-year average, representing four times the size of Winnipeg.

It breaks my heart that it’s come to this.

As someone who’s spent 15 years in the climate movement, it’s devastating to see the chaos which scientists, youth, and Indigenous leaders have warned about for decades now unfolding in real time.

Wildfires are natural, but the scale and severity we’re facing are fuelled by a rapidly warming climate. The Canadian Prairies are heating faster than much of the world — a dangerous trend intensifying drought, heat waves, and fire seasons.

This isn’t just about numbers and policies. It’s about families sleeping on cots in community centres miles from home. Children inhaling smoke instead of lilac blossom spring air. Pine forests, berry patches, caribou habitat, and medicines lost to flame. And while we could dwell in frustration over what should have been done, what matters now is what we do next.

In climate science, we talk about feedback loops: the more the world warms, the more wildfires burn. And the more wildfires burn, the more carbon is released, making the planet hotter still. Wildfires are now Canada’s top source of emissions, outpacing even oil and gas.

We must get serious about wildfire prevention and preparedness — for the human toll, the health risks, and for the climate.

Manitoba needs a provincial wildfire strategy. Communities across Canada need their own plans. We need to double federal resources for fire crews, equipment and Indigenous fire guardians.

At the same time, we need bold climate action. Burning fossil fuels is like pouring gasoline on this fire. No new fossil fuel projects. Massive investments in Indigenous-owned wind and solar. Heat pumps for all. A Manitoba climate action and resilience strategy.

These past weeks, I’ve found strength in community — from climate trainings to Pride events to conversations with elders who remind us: listen to the Earth. The Earth is speaking to us now, through smoke and flame, telling us things are dangerously out of balance.

Let’s grieve what’s been lost. Let’s care for one another through the fear and uncertainty. And let’s act — urgently, courageously, together.

As Premier Wab Kinew says, we get through hard times by working together.

We can’t control the fires, but we can control our response. Donate to the Red Cross and local drives. Check in on neighbours and evacuees. Stay safe.

Brigette DePape is a climate planner and project manager with Narratives.