Wildfire fighters, evacuees call on feds to restore equipment and training funding

By Canadian Press on October 22, 2025.

OTTAWA — A group of wildfire evacuees, volunteer firefighters and Indigenous wildfire guardians is in Ottawa this week calling on the federal government to do more to prevent seasonal wildfires.

This year’s wildfire season, the second-worst on record, saw nearly 9 million hectares consumed — larger than the area of New Brunswick and P.E.I. combined and more than double the 10-year average.

The delegation will meet with MPs to press for the restoration of federal funding for equipment and training, and investments in clean energy to address climate change.

Ottawa pledged $300 million in 2022 to help provinces, territories and First Nations buy firefighting equipment.

It promised another $39 million to train 1,000 new community-based firefighters.

While the funding was supposed to last five years, the delegation says the money has run out and the government isn’t accepting any more applications.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2025.

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press

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