Ontario adds $20.5M in funding to fight wildfires, including for training and drones
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/10/2023 (1070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
TIMMINS, Ont. – Ontario’s natural resources and forestry minister says the government will spend an additional $20.5 million over three years to help fight wildfires.
Graydon Smith, making an announcement in Timmins, Ont., says this recent fire season has been one of the most challenging in recent memory.
The government says more than 700 wildfires have been reported so far in the 2023 season, burning more than 4,200 square kilometres across the province, which is nearly triple the 10-year average.
Smith says the money will be used for new aerial fire suppression technologies such as drones, recruiting new fire ranger staff, supporting Indigenous wildland fire management and investing more in risk assessment.
The government also says it is developing a psychological safety program to help protect the mental health of staff working in the wildland fire program.
The province says it is also addressing barriers to fire ranger recruitment by reimbursing eligible training expenses and “reviewing” stand-by and on-call pay.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2023.