{"id":74518,"date":"2025-06-09T21:29:22","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T01:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/?p=74518"},"modified":"2025-06-12T07:31:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T11:31:36","slug":"ndp-urges-ford-government-to-reverse-cuts-as-northern-ontario-wildfires-force-evacuations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/09\/ndp-urges-ford-government-to-reverse-cuts-as-northern-ontario-wildfires-force-evacuations\/","title":{"rendered":"NDP Urges Ford Government to Reverse Cuts as Northern Ontario Wildfires Force Evacuations"},"content":{"rendered":"

June 9th, 2025<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As wildfires burn across the province, the Official Opposition NDP are calling on the Ford government to reverse cuts to wildland firefighting and acknowledge the crisis in the province\u2019s wildfire program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is devastating. People are being forced to flee their homes and entire communities are in crisis. People are scared, displaced, and breathing smoke, and the Ford government is nowhere to be found after cutting $42 million from wildfire response and nearly $4 million from emergency preparedness,\u201d said Stiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply grateful to the frontline responders, wildland firefighters, and military teams working around the clock to protect lives. But it shouldn\u2019t take federal intervention for this government to act.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Shadow Minister for Natural Resources and Forestry, Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk-James Bay) and MPP Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay-Superior North) are calling on the Ford Government to heed wildland firefighters\u2019 calls to address the underfunding crisis.<\/p>\n

“Wildland firefighters are on the front lines defending our communities and resources with understaffed teams and insufficient equipment,\u201d added Bourgouin. \u201cThey have been warning us for years about crisis-level underfunding. Time is running out and the Premier needs to listen to wildland firefighters and make the investments we need to protect our province.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPremier Ford is still pretending everything is okay while our communities are being threatened and evacuated due to out-of-control fires,\u201d added Vaugeois. \u201cWildland firefighters have been sounding the alarm for years only to be ignored by this government. It\u2019s time for Premier Ford to invest in our wildland fire program, pay living wages, and actually Protect Ontario.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe communities of Deer Lake, Sandy Lake and Webequie First Nations should never have been threatened or evacuated. This failure to fund the wildfire program and protect the people of Ontario is solely the responsibility of Premier Ford. We have spoken personally with Premier Ford\u2019s staff and warned them for years of the disaster that was imminent; The people of Ontario and our evacuated communities are the ones who have are forced to face the consequences\u201d, Noah Freedman OPSEU Local Vice President and Ontario Wildfire Crew Leader<\/p>\n

Thousands of residents, including families in Sandy Lake and Deer Lake First Nations, and Webequie First Nations are being evacuated as wildfires threaten homes and critical infrastructure. First responders and Canadian Armed Forces personnel are conducting emergency airlifts and structure protection.<\/p>\n

Just last month, the Ford government cut $42 million from Ontario\u2019s wildland firefighting budget, and nearly $4 million from emergency preparedness.<\/p>\n

The Official Opposition is calling on the government to:<\/p>\n