Ontario opens 2026 wildland fire season with more staff and new investments

THUNDER BAY — Ontario says it is entering the 2026 wildland fire season with more permanent staff, higher compensation for key frontline workers and updated rules aimed at improving response and compliance.

For Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, where vast forested areas, remote communities and critical highway and air links can all be affected by wildfire activity, the annual start of fire season is more than a calendar date — it marks the beginning of a high-stakes period for public safety, travel, resource industries and Indigenous communities.

Province says crews, aircraft and new resources are in place

In a news release issued Tuesday, the Ministry of Natural Resources said Ontario’s wildland fire season runs from April 1 to Oct. 31. The province says it has added 68 permanent staff ahead of the 2026 season and increased compensation for critical employees, including wildland firefighters, pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers.

Ontario also says it has filled 100 permanent staff positions across 2024 and 2025, invested $64 million in 2024 with the federal government for upgraded equipment, suppression tools and training, and committed more than $500 million for six new Canadian-made De Havilland DHC-515 waterbombers.

New and amended regulations under the Wildland Fire Management Act take effect April 1, 2026, with the goal of modernizing fire management, strengthening compliance measures and improving protection against growing wildfire threats.

Why it matters in Northwestern Ontario

The provincial announcement has particular relevance in Northwestern Ontario, where wildfire season can quickly disrupt daily life. Communities in the Thunder Bay region and farther north can face smoke, evacuation threats, road closures, flight disruptions and pressure on emergency services when fire conditions worsen. In remote and fly-in First Nations, wildfire readiness also has a direct connection to community safety, food security, health care access and continuity of essential services.

The province says its wildland fire system protects 90 million hectares of public land through a network that includes 14 fire management headquarters, three attack bases, 11 forward attack bases, two regional fire centres, one provincial fire centre, an emergency operations centre, logistics hubs, aircraft hangars and a flight training centre. That infrastructure is especially important in the North, where distance and terrain can make rapid response more difficult.

Looking back at 2025

Ontario says there were 643 wildland fires in 2025, burning 597,654 hectares — an area the province says was larger than Prince Edward Island.

Over the past 10 years, Ontario has averaged about 712 fires annually and roughly 210,232.6 hectares burned per year. The comparison suggests that while the number of fires last year was below the 10-year average, the total area burned was significantly larger, underscoring how quickly a smaller number of major fires can escalate into a provincewide challenge.

That matters in the Northwest, where large fires can burn for long periods in difficult-to-access areas and where smoke can spread across district boundaries and international borders.

Public urged to reduce human-caused fires

Ontario says about 50 per cent of all wildland fires are caused by people. The province is urging residents, campers and travellers to check Ontario’s interactive forest fire map before starting outdoor fires, pay attention to local restrictions, keep campfires small and fully extinguish them before leaving. It is also directing the public to FireSmart guidance on protecting homes, cabins and communities.

For Northwestern Ontario residents, that message is especially important heading into spring, when dry ground, wind and human activity can combine to increase risk near highways, camps, work sites and rural properties.

Federal-provincial programs also part of the plan

The province says Ontario and Canada are supporting projects through the Wildfire Resilient Futures Initiative to improve local training, education, outreach, science and research related to wildfire prevention and mitigation. Ontario also says its annual base funding for emergency firefighting has risen 93 per cent since 2018, for a total of more than $65 million used to position crews and aircraft for rapid response.