Devastating wildfire season across Ontario

Wildfire smoke is being felt across Ontario, including right here in Ottawa.

The devastating impacts of Ontario’s wildfire season are being felt across the province, including in Ottawa. Smoke from wildfires burning in Northern Ontario led to an air quality warning in the national capital region, reminding us that the effects of these climate emergencies can reach communities hundreds of kilometres away.

As of July 16th, more than 850 active wildfires are burning across Canada, including across Northern Ontario. According to the most recent provincial data, there are currently 180 active wildland fires: 136 in Ontario’s northwest (63 classified as out of control) and 44 in Ontario’s northeast (nine classified as out of control).

Many northern communities have also been ordered to evacuate due to the devastating fires, including many First Nation communities. My thoughts and prayers are with all of the families and communities impacted by these horrific fires.

I want to recognize and thank all of the firefighters, emergency responders and volunteers working around the clock to protect communities and keep Ontarians safe.

This year’s budget allocates $150 million for emergency forest firefighting, far below the $271 million spent during the 2025-26 wildfire season when the province was forced to exceed its original budget due to the scale of the crisis. Firefighters and unions have warned that chronic underfunding has contributed to crew shortages and delays in securing critical resources, including air support.

Before this devastating wildfire season began, my colleague from Kanata-Carleton, MPP Karen McCrimmon, asked the Ford government why it continues to underfund the firefighting budget every single year in Ontario.

Wildfire season in Ontario is unfortunately no longer an unexpected event, it’s an annual reality. The Ford government has ultimately failed to invest in the resources, planning and emergency response capacity needed to better prepare for these increasingly severe events. Ontarians deserve a government that is prepared to respond with the resources and leadership needed to protect impacted communities.