Sheila Bautz
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Daily Herald
On August 18, the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) called on the Government of Canada to overhaul how wildfire funds are allocated in the Build and Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge program.
The PAGC states the federal Natural Resource agency’s grants are not new money and fail to reflect the wildfire risks faced by northern First Nations communities.
In the designated $45.7 million in wildfire project funds, 10 of the 30 grants were issued to Indigenous-led projects for a combined total of $3.9 million. In comparison, $41.7 million is allocated to 20 grants focused on scientific research and demonstration projects while collaborating with Indigenous partners over a four-year period.
“Wildfires are not abstract research topics for our Nations – they are an annual threat to our safety, homes and way of life,” said Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte of the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC). “This announcement simply repackages old money, and it forces our communities to compete for funds when we should be receiving direct allocations based on risk.
“We need money for equipment and money to support the training so that our First Nations firefighters can be the ones actioning fires in our territories. Protecting our people and our lands is not just policy — it is a matter of Treaty rights and government obligations.”
The Prince Albert Grand Council is one of the largest tribal councils in Canada with a membership of over 44,000 people, representing 12 First Nations and 28 northern communities in the territories of Treaty 5, 6, 8 & 10.
In 2018, the PAGC Wildfire Task Force was established. The organization continues to press for First Nations-led solutions to wildfire governance. The Wildfire Task Force is guided by Elders and experts demonstrating an important influence with provincial firefighting strategies along with increasing the recruitment and hiring of First Nations firefighters. The organization also launched the Wildfire Resilience Initiative to train youth in Indigenous-led fire practices.
The PAGC also established a proven track record with the year-round Indigenous Fire Guardians program consisting of community-based experts in land stewardship, cultural burning, fire prevention and recovery. There are also programs operating such as the PAGC Youth Fire Guardians, which are in the process of revitalizing Indigenous fire stewardship in northern Saskatchewan.
However, these crucial wildfire programs continue to remain underfunded even while clearly demonstrating the various collective human knowledge systems and experience that remains underfunded.
“We’ve seen too many studies sit on shelves while our communities are forced to evacuate year after year,” Hardlotte said. “Our Task Force and Fire Guardians are demonstrating what works. What we need now is direct investment: equipment, training, and resources that respect our leadership, uphold Treaty rights, and reflect our vulnerability to wildfire.”
On August 12, the announcement about the $41.7 million for the Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge program was made in Calgary by Corey Hogan, the Member of Parliament for the Calgary Confederation in Alberta. Hogan is also the Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Tim Hodgson, the federal Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
The wildfire funding for the 10 Indigenous-led projects do not exceed $500,000 with $42,000 being the lowest amount to be distributed to Chawatchil First Nation in British Columbia.
“PAGC was awarded about $500,000 for its ka māmāwī–yak (Coming Together) project — valuable, but small compared to the nearly $42 million national envelope,” PAGC said in a statement.
In Saskatchewan, the Prince Albert PADC Management Co. Ltd received the funds to mobilize and demonstrate Indigenous Fire Stewardship knowledge in the Saskatchewan River Delta through cultural assessment, knowledge exchange and Indigenous-led fire practices. However, the amount of the grant allocated is not a reflection of the fact that Saskatchewan First Nations communities are amongst the highest wildfire risk areas in the country.
For the sake of comparison, the Ministry of Natural Resources received $3.5 million dollars for a scientific approach to reduce wildfire risk through forest harvesting and fuel treatment methods.
Forest harvesting involves the removal of trees for various industry purposes. There is a reported extensive list of regulations and compliance to environmental factors, which requires years of planning and foresight.
Fuel loading is a term to describe burnable materials in the forest that occur at three levels. Ground fuels involve roots and particles in soils that burn when lit. Surface fuels involve low vegetation, such as dried leaves, grass, large logs and small shrubs. Aerial or crown fuels consist of tree trunks, branches and dead trees with moss.
Natural Resources Canada publicly stated that “Within this program, the Supporting and Mobilizing Indigenous Fire Knowledge grant focuses on building and enhancing capacity to support Indigenous communities in identifying and managing their own wildland fire risk. It is informed by Indigenous knowledge and land management practices, and provides support for knowledge sharing and the development of tools and resources by and for Indigenous communities.”
According to the federal Government of Canada, the term ‘risk’ is defined and understood as a product resulting from the hazard of wildland fire, and the impacts it has on people, resources and assets of concern. Wildland fire hazards include the likelihood of wildfire occurring along with the magnitude of the destruction. This includes the wildfire’s intensity and the rate of the wildfires spread.
According to the Prince Albert Grand Council leadership, the PAGC Nations face the most severe wildfire danger in the country. A majority of PAGC Nations call Northern Saskatchewan home. The PAGC leaders state that there are structural gaps in federal wildfire funding.
Also on August 18, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre also reported a Level 5 rating for wildfires in Saskatchewan, which is the highest possible rating for severe wildfire danger in the country. A level five anticipates an extreme fire load with acknowledgment of inadequate agency resources to manage the raging fires. It also sounds the alarm for the need for emergency measures involving an international resource mobilization and an extensive interagency effort to assist in the wildfire crisis.
According to the PACG leadership, the federal government has allocated over $791 million for wildfire activities since 2022, but there is no funding for emergency response to the fires. The PAGC state that research reveals only 6 per cent of the $791 million was distributed directly to Indigenous nations or organizations. The majority of the funding was designated to post-fire reforestation and not for the prevention of wildfires.
In addition, an overwhelming majority of wildfire evacuations in Canada – 42 per cent — occur in Indigenous communities even though Indigenous Peoples are 5 per cent of Canada’s population.
“This year alone, the Canadian Red Cross registered about 15,000 evacuees in Saskatchewan,” said Tina Pelletier with the Prince Albert Grand Council, “– about 75% from PAGC Nations including Lac La Ronge Indian Band and Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, not counting those from Montreal Lake Cree Nation who received support from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.”
The PAGC is calling on the federal government to move away from project-based, competitive funding. Risk-based, community-led allocations would allow First Nations to decide what is needed, when it is needed, and how it should be implemented.
In addition to the high risk to human life due to wildfires, a Statistics Canada analysis found nearly one quarter of all economic activity in northern Saskatchewan is vulnerable to wildfire. The Government of Canada agency underscored the threat to both the livelihoods and Treaty rights of PAGC First Nations. Honouring Treaty commitments means resourcing First Nations with the tools to protect their people, lands, and livelihoods, including with vital wildfire funding.
