Forest fires: Quebec sends aid to Alberta and Manitoba
Posted June 1, 2025 10:52 am.
Last Updated June 1, 2025 12:34 pm.
Quebec is coming to help provinces affected by forest fires.
Premier François Legault announced on Sunday that a specialized management team will be sent to Alberta on Tuesday, along with three sections of 20 firefighters to Manitoba.
Two CL-415 water bombers are already in Saskatchewan and two others are in Ontario.
“Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario are going through difficult times with forest fires. Premiers Scott Moe, Danielle Smith, Wab Kinew and Doug Ford can count on our help and that of SOPFEU. We are with you wholeheartedly,” Legault wrote on social media.
He noted that Public Safety Minister François Bonnardel is “closely monitoring the situation here” and that “the rain in recent hours allows us to help our counterparts in other provinces.”
On Friday, the Quebec government lifted the ban on open fires in or near forests. This measure had been in effect since Wednesday in the northern regions of the province.
The Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) reported on Sunday that there were no active forest fires in Quebec’s intensive protection zone.
Earlier this week, Saskatchewan and Manitoba declared provincial states of emergency as forest fires threaten remote northern regions.
In Manitoba, 17,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes in recent days, while more than 4,000 people in Saskatchewan have had to evacuate.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
