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The federal government has announced a pilot program aimed at better coordinating non-governmental emergency supports in BC and the NWT.
Emergency preparedness minister Harjit Sajjan said on Thursday the initiative, under the federal humanitarian workforce program, will ensure NGOs can rapidly help vulnerable communities during climate-related emergencies.
Sajjan said the pilot will focus on at-risk communities in BC and the NWT during this summer’s wildfire season.
The minister told Cabin Radio Ottawa wanted to ensure the NWT had “more resources” if another bad fire season develops. He said a key lesson from 2023, for example, had been that there weren’t enough people to register vulnerable evacuees.
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“Last year, when I visited, I took to heart a lot of those lessons. A lot of the things we are doing right now is the direct result of what I heard on the ground,” he said.
The minister said the project will help organizations conduct training and exercises, ensure they have appropriate supplies, and support communities with disaster preparation and evacuation.
Sajjan said the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada, for example, will have a new group of 200 volunteers from across the country that can be deployed within 72 hours for periods of up to three weeks.
The Salvation Army will move assets and supplies, such as non-perishable food, to five at-risk areas in BC and two in the NWT, he said, while veteran humanitarian organization Team Rubicon will be added to the program.
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“These organizations have always done amazing work when disaster strikes,” Sajjan said. “What we’re doing right now is not only fine-tuning but coordinating that response even better.”
Last summer, the federal government announced $82 million over three years for the humanitarian workforce program, which supports NGOs’ emergency response efforts.
Of that, $52.5 million was designated for the Canadian Red Cross, $14.8 million for St John Ambulance, $10.2 for the Salvation Army and $4.5 million for the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada.
Sajjan announced details about the new pilot during a Thursday federal briefing on this year’s wildfire season.
Officials said spring wildfire activity is expected to be above normal in eastern BC, central and northern parts of the Prairies and the southern NWT, areas that are in multi-year droughts.
By June, the federal government said, the wildfire-prone area is expected to expand to cover most of the NWT, Yukon, BC and northwestern Alberta.
“This year’s wildfire season is already taking a toll on western Canada,” Sajjan said.
“Evacuations or air quality, distressing images, can have a significant impact on the mental health of Canadians. So I urge all Canadians to look out for one another.”
