Ontario minister pledges better communication during wildfire season
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Ontario’s Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris pledged Monday better communication on wildfires after many First Nations communities said they received little to no warning about approaching flames this summer.
The government has been roundly criticized for its approach to the devastating wildfire season in northwestern Ontario. First Nations said warnings from the province to evacuate due to fast-moving fires either came too late or not at all.
Residents of Namaygoosisagagun, also known as Collins First Nation, fled on boats before a massive blaze destroyed the community in July. Whitewater Lake First Nation was also ravaged by fire.
Residents of more than a dozen northern communities were forced to leave their homes as about 200 fires raged in July.
Wildfire smoke drifted across much of southern Ontario and into the United States, leaving Toronto, New York City and parts in between in a smoky haze that glowed orange.
“One of the things just looking back that we can already learn is we’ve got to do a little bit better job on communication,” Harris said in Sault Ste. Marie, where he announced a $20-million investment to upgrade two major wildfire attack bases in northwestern Ontario.
First Nations leaders have also called for a public inquiry into the province’s response to the wildfires, a request that Harris has not committed to fulfilling.
The ministry reviews the wildfire season every year and earlier in the summer, Harris said he may not release those reports. He changed that tune on Monday.
“We’ll be able to do that deep dive to look at some of the challenges that we did face,” he said.
“And then when we get a bit of a formal plan together, then we’ll be looking to, of course, share that with communities that were affected to make sure that we are able to, in the coming seasons, have better relationships and make sure we’re getting information out to them as quickly … as possible.”
The upgrades to the two bases will mean quicker firefighting deployments, Harris said. The province is looking to upgrade other wildfire bases as well, he added.
The province said there have been 786 wildfires in 2026 that burned nearly 750,000 hectares of land.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2026.