Canadian Government Helps Manitoba Purchase Wildfire Suppression Equipment

On Thursday, Natural Resources Canada announced that as another wildfire season gets underway, the Governments of Canada and Manitoba will support Canadians and Manitobans threatened by wildfires while strengthening their ability to adapt to a changing climate.

To that end, Harjit Sajjan, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Emergency Preparedness, and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, was joined by Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, on behalf of the Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, to make an announcement with Jamie Moss, Manitoba Minister of Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources, to jointly invest $38.4 million (CAD) over four years under the Government of Canada’s Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program – Equipment Fund (FMWCC) to support Manitoba’s efforts to purchase wildland firefighting equipment to enhance provincial readiness and capacity to prepare for and respond to wildland fires.

Funding announced on Thursday will help Manitoba purchase and upgrade firefighting equipment to increase wildland fire preparedness and response efforts, improve safety for communities and firefighters alike, and strengthen capacities and capabilities for resource exchange across Canada. In addition, the funding will support the purchase of additional training equipment and materials to improve training and increase the number of skilled wildland firefighters and other staff.