First Nations Paying the Price as Ontario Ignored Warnings on Wildfire Preparedness

THUNDER BAY: First Nations are paying the price as the Ford government’s performance on the implementation of recommendations on wildfire and emergency management preparedness will once again be examined by Ontario’s Auditor General, which has confirmed that a Wildland Fire Management performance audit is underway.

“First Nations have been paying the price for the Ford government’s inaction. The warnings were there. The recommendations were there. The province had the time and every opportunity to act. But it did not deliver and we are living with the consequences in this unprecedented crisis, with some communities forced to evacuate on their own with little to no notice,” said Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler. “It is encouraging that the Auditor General’s Office is once again examining the province’s performance on wildfire preparedness and response, but an audit is not enough. The work of the Auditor General should be used to inform a full public inquiry that our leaders are demanding. Our leaders and their members have been through far too much to accept anything less than full accountability by this government.”

In its 2022 audit, Management of Hazards and Emergencies in the Environment, the Auditor General identified weaknesses in Ontario’s forest fire management including emergency preparedness, response and oversight, and made 70 recommendations to the responsible ministries. Its 2024 follow-up found that Ontario had only fully implemented just 13% of the recommended actions. Only 26% had seen some progress, with 50% had seen little or no progress.

The Auditor General’s office has confirmed that it will examine the status of the recommended actions identified in its 2024 report that have not been fully implemented in another follow-up report, expected in 2027.

NAN is prepared to contribute to this process and strongly urges the Auditor General’s office to engage meaningfully with First Nations leadership, given the disproportionate impact this season has had on remote and fly-in communities across NAN territory.

Auditor General’s follow-up on the 2022 Performance Audit.

For more information please contact:
Michael Heintzman,
Director of Communications
Cell: (807) 621-2790
mheintzman@nan.ca