I was 150 kilometres south of Yellowknife on Friday when I saw the flames envelope several trees near the highway. We have been so shielded in Yellowknife from smoke and fire activity this summer that we have little idea how bad it is not far from our back doors.
When I saw the flames, I wanted to stop and call the emergency wildfire line, but the smoke was so thick I chose to continue until it was safe to pull over. We couldn't breathe.
Once in the rest area, I pulled out the phone but, of course, no cell service. I could not report this fire and just prayed that parks staff were aware or would be in this area soon. Would I get home from Fort Simpson? Would Yellowknife be cut off again?
I tried to restart the van, which was cranky and refused to go. There was only a handful of vehicles on the road and I wondered what we would do in a serious emergency with no cell service. In this day of constant threats and emergencies, cell service is not just a convenience, it's essential for survival.
We started again only to have a bison emerge from the smoke a half-kilometre away. I did not see the bison until it was directly in front of the van. I swerved, wondering how the poor guy was able to breathe in this smoky shroud. I had a new awareness of how dangerous smoke can be.
Against this backdrop, the federal government announced it was providing a $2.5-million grant to the GNWT to fund a project titled Enhancing Northern Community and Ecosystem Resilience to Fire.
According to cursory information, the project will "build foundational wildfire knowledge by characterizing historic fire behaviour; evaluating the impacts and conditions of short-interval reburns and analyzing long-term risks to communities under different fire suppression regimes.SA国际影视传媒�
Good grief.
In other words, the feds are throwing good money after bad by pouring more hard-earned dollars into another study that only gives a few more people work. We do not need more studies, we need action. Governments are famous for producing endless reports containing information already available, and for its failure to consult those who already know the answers SA国际影视传媒� the Elders. Did the GNWT ask for this grant, or was this another token gesture being done in 30 communities across Canada?
Simply put, the feds are normalizing wildfires and climate change instead of taking real action to slow activities. We are sick of studies.
If the federal government wanted to do something worth doing, it would look at the one million trees planted by the Tlicho Government this summer. Sadly, we lost a helicopter pilot in this ambitious and amazing project, but its importance cannot be ignored. It appears that the First Nations know more about right steps than a federal government that gets bogged down in studies.
Wildfire growth in Canada is happening exponentially with emergency responses occurring early in the season and causing mass evacuations, such as those witnessed in Manitoba and now Newfoundland, where so many people are losing their homes.
If we are going to spend money on wildfires, let's put it toward more equipment and more training so that we have adequate personnel to fight this war. Studies are an excuse for inaction. Put the money where it is needed, which is helping people who risk their lives to fight fires.
Further, stop with the Band-Aid solutions and the hypocrisy. We know that climate change is caused by fossil fuel use, so if we truly want to turn this tide, we will stop subsidizing oil and gas producers and building pipelines. Yes, we need to be more self-sufficient and we need the money, but what good is tax revenue if we don't have a planet?
After a summer of mass evacuations and devastating losses in various regions of Canada, all governments need to step up their fight on climate change by providing more green energy, rehabilitating affected habitat and getting out of the fossil fuel business.
Providing a $2.5-million grant for a study that will be obsolete before it is done may be good for a public relations stunt, but it does nothing to resolve our crisis. We don't need more Band-Aids, we need real solutions.
