The province has hired about 600 forest firefighters this year, which is similar to last year. The Ford government rolled out incentive programs earlier this month to attract and retain more fire staff.
It's officially wildfire season in Ontario, and those in the industry have been planning ahead following Canada's worst wildfire season on record last year. While it's hard to predict how northwestern Ontario will fare after a dry, warm winter, the region's First Nations are pushing for more capacity to fight and prevent wildfires at the community level.
As the threat of wildfires becomes increasingly top of mind in rural areas around Thunder Bay and across the North, the province took heat this week for failing to provide