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fort mcmurray fire
Traditional firefighting isn't enough — we need smart investments in wildfire research, technology and new programs that work.
It was a heartwarming surprise.
During Small Business Week, it seems an appropriate time to praise small businesses across the country and to share lessons learned from a community's experience as we recover from the largest insured disaster in Canadian history.
Canada is significantly behind other G7 countries in the value we place on urban forests, especially the U.S., where management of urban forests falls under the responsibility of an individual equivalent to a Canadian deputy minister.
Police are investigating the cause.
When I arrived the first time I was taken aback by the devastation. Rows of charred trees, businesses and entire blocks of homes destroyed. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air. This time, I see full parking lots, line-ups at grocery stores, people going about their lives like they did before the fires.
It has not slowed down since the fire.
I still wasn't fully prepared for what I experienced during my visit last week. I'm a professional forester and I've seen my fair share of forest fires up close. Still, the vastness of this fire and extent of damage in an urban area was sad, sobering and more than a little eerie.
The first home rebuilt will go to a single mother of two.
The 300 firefighters left early due to a pay dispute.
