July 6, 2023 Banff National Park, Alberta Parks Canada
Climate change is causing wildfires to become more frequent and more severe across Canada, threatening our health, economies, and wildlife.
Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism, Associate Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the upgrading of a National Fire Equipment Cache in Banff National Park, through the construction of a new facility that will act as a central equipment storage location and augment equipment reserves across the country.
Specialized fire management equipment will be maintained in a state of readiness where it can be quickly deployed to Parks Canada administered places across Canada or shared with provincial and territorial partners through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). The National Fire Equipment Cache will enhance wildfire preparedness in national parks and surrounding areas and will increase Parks Canada's overall capacity to respond to wildfires.
Since 2021, the Government of Canada has invested over $65 million in the National Wildfire Management Program at Parks Canada.
This funding has supported wildfire resilience initiatives including:
- increasing the scope of wildfire risk reduction efforts with a focus on communities located within or adjacent to a national park;
- increasing the number of fire management specialists and firefighting crews; and
- enhancing the government's capacity to train these highly specialized personnel.
Through this program, Parks Canada is increasing the safety and security of the public, protecting critical infrastructure, contributing to ecosystem resilience, and reducing or preventing disruptions to economic activity in affected areas and those at risk. The initiative is fully aligned with Canada's National Adaptation Strategy, which lays out an agreed-upon framework to reduce the risk of climate-related disasters, improve health outcomes, protect nature and biodiversity, build and maintain resilient infrastructure, and support a strong economy and workers.
The Government of Canada invests in Parks Canada's assets and the critical function they provide to Canadians and visitors to combat the effects of climate change, while supporting the health of our natural environment and ensuring public safety.
