Corner Brook is one of three places in Canada taking part in pilot project on a wildfire resiliency template

It’s called the “Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan” and is funded by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre or the CIFFC.

Corner Brook is one of three places in Canada taking part in a project that will lead to the creation of a national template to follow during wildfires. It’s called the “Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan” and is funded by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre or the CIFFC. At this week’s public council meeting, the Supervisor of Fire Management Coordination, Jeff Motty was on hand to talk about work the team has done since starting during the end of September. This included an assessment and analysis which will be used in a template for groups across the nation. 

Motty says last year in NL, there were 249 wildfires that burned only 1841 hectares. In 2022, there was the fire in central and in 2024, fires led to two community evacuations in Labrador.  Motty says the impacts from last year’s wildfires were huge and the biggest cost was in Kingston with $70M in insured property loss. There were 236 structures that burned, over 6500 people evacuatem from 3200 households. 

Councillor Sherry Dean says with an increase in these fires, many communities  across the province face elevated risks and need proactive planning. She says the   Corner Brook pilot will test the national template here in NL with its unique landscape, refine risk assessment, and produce a locally tailored wild fire resiliency plan. The project is expected to be completed by the end of March. Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan will also be taking part in the pilot project.