By Terry Inigo-Jones, Communications Staff
Premier Kenney’s UCP government is making huge cuts to Alberta’s wildfire-fighting team despite the growing threat to our province’s forests, communities, and industries.
Only days before job-offer letters were due to be sent to seasonal firefighters, the government issued orders to cut their budget by nearly 12 per cent. Facing this sudden shortfall, firefighting teams across the province were forced to cut positions, the length of contracts, and even delay offers entirely.
“Climate change is making the wildfire season longer and more dangerous,” says AUPE Vice-President Mike Dempsey, who is an experienced Environmental Protection Officer. “But the Alberta government has forced cuts on the fire-fighting front-lines: the AUPE members who are our most important defense against wildfires.”
Many workers have turned to other jobs and jurisdictions altogether. This has left Alberta’s team short of 68 staff at the latest count, and that’s not counting positions that have been completely cut.
"The Alberta government has forced cuts on the fire-fighting front-lines: the AUPE members who are our most important defense against wildfires."
Many workers have turned to other jobs and jurisdictions altogether. This has left Alberta’s team short of 68 staff at the latest count, and that’s not counting positions that have been completely cut.
“Our province, which was known to be a leader in wildfire in Canada, is a shadow of its former self,” says Dempsey. “This has caused real concern that we will lose control of fires and Albertans will suffer as a result. We can’t afford to lose homes, communities, and lives because of this government’s mismanagement.”
Even if the province can find new workers quickly, they are missing out on valuable training time and may not be prepared when disaster strikes. Training of new firefighters is happening later than ever and might not be completed until the end of May.
To put that into perspective, fire season starts in March… and early May is when we typically see our biggest fires.
“The Fort McMurray wildfire started on May 1, 2016,” says Dempsey. “The Beast destroyed 2,400 homes and forced nearly 90,000 to flee. It was the single costliest disaster in Canadian history, with damage estimated at nearly $10 billion.”
A government report on the 2016 wildfire season stated: “The fire season in Alberta is becoming longer, is starting earlier and is featuring more frequent periods of extreme weather. Historical data indicates that Alberta now experiences the most wildfires in May and more forest area is burned in May than any other month.”
Kenney’s government failed to follow the recommendations from reviews of previous disasters and is praying that this fire season won’t be bad and won’t be long. The problem, of course, is that it is Albertans who will pay the price if this Hail Mary fails.
“Albertans need to ask this government: With so much at stake, why gamble? Why put our lives, our homes, our communities, and our jobs at risk?” asks Dempsey.
“With even the experts hired by the government saying the fire season is starting earlier and ending later, where’s the evidence to support this irrational decision?”
Albertans expect their government to be proactive, to work to prevent disaster from happening, and to be ready when disaster does strike.
Kenney and the UCP are not listening to Albertans or wildfire experts. Instead, they are gambling with our lives.
"With so much at stake, why gamble? Why put our lives, our homes, our communities, and our jobs at risk?"