Drought and dry weather led to a record 1,198 wildfires this year, including a 200,000-hectare blaze — one of the largest in Ontario history.
Drought and dry weather led to a record 1,198 wildfires this year, including a 200,000-hectare blaze — one of the largest in Ontario history.
Ontario won’t immediately ban outdoor fires in much of the province this year like it did for more than a month last year, but that degree of regulation is still possible.
The province has increased base funding for emergency forest fire fighting by $30.2 million and is ensuring safety measures are in place to protect fire rangers during the pandemic.
There were fewer forest fires in Ontario this year, but they burned nearly the same amount of landscape as they did in 2018, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF).
