Canada’s federal and provincial leaders are vowing to work together to respond to the wildfire crisis in Fort McMurray, Alta., where more than 80,000 people have been evacuated and at least 1,600 homes have been destroyed.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that he had spoken to Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, and vowed to provide all possible assistance.
Trudeau said he has heard from several provinces that want to help fight the fires and assist the city's residents, who have been evacuated ahead of the flames.
"People are looking for how they can support their friends and neighbours," Trudeau said in Ottawa. He encouraged Canadians to donate to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts.
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters in Ottawa that “the good news … is so far there do not appear to be any fatalities or indeed any serious injuries.”
Goodale said that the federal Government Operations Centre has been “on the job from the very beginning” and that federal agencies are assisting with everything from stockpiling cots and bedding to repairing damaged cellphone towers.
Goodale added that Service Canada is “looking, for example, at the necessity for income supports as people try to restore their lives and get back to some semblance of normalcy.”
In terms of financial assistance to the province, he said that the government is “already calculating what the long-term investment will need to be.”
Goodale answered only a couple of questions from reporters, including one about how this fire compares to natural disasters he dealt with as a minister in the Jean Chretien and Paul Martin eras.
“This is clearly the largest fire-based evacuation in the history in Alberta,” he said, and “one of the largest, if not the largest, in Canada.”
Goodale said it could take years for the community to recover, adding that he believes more than 80,000 people have been evacuated.
“It’s a large number of people who have been totally displaced and their livelihoods have been threatened for the long term,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said her government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of National Defence, which will give the province access to search-and-rescue helicopters, as well as airlift support to bring in firefighting personnel and materials as needed.
The province may ask for ground support from the military at some point in order to gain access to destroyed parts of Fort McMurray, Notley said. Approximately 1,600 structures in town have been destroyed by the fire, according to the premier.
“Our province is strong and we will get through this,” she said. “Albertans have proven time and time again that when disaster strikes, we come together and we find the solutions and we get through it. And we come out of it stronger on the other side.”
Ontario has pledged to send 100 firefighters to help fight the flames, and has offered to equipment as well. The crews are expected to depart on Friday.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan confirmed in a conference call earlier in the day that the government has received a formal request for assistance from the Alberta government.
"I am watching the wildfire situation in Fort McMurray with great concern, and my thoughts go out to all of the residents being evacuated from their homes," he said in a statement.
Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose, who is from northern Alberta, told CTV’s Power Play that “everyone knowns someone” who has been affected by the disaster.
“People have been struggling in this region already with difficult economic issues,” she said. “Now to have this happen is really, really tough.”
Ambrose said she met with Trudeau and Goodale Wednesday morning to share her thoughts on deploying the military and to encourage Ottawa to match donations Canadians make to the Red Cross.
Alberta’s government, which declared a province-wide State of Emergency on Wednesday afternoon, said that it will match donations made to the Red Cross.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said his party is “reassured to hear that the Canadian government is going to be doing everything it can to help the Alberta government.”
“The number one priority is to make sure that everyone is safe, but the images make it quite clear that there’s going to be the need for a lot of help going forward,” the told reporters in Ottawa.
Mulcair also urged Canadians who are willing and able to help those affected by the fire to donate to the Canadian Red Cross.
With files from The Canadian Press
