Federal, Yukon gov'ts announce $17M to help reduce wildfire risk

The federal and Yukon governments are putting more money toward reducing wildfire risk in the territory.

Officials on Thursday announced $17 million for fuel break construction and other wildfire mitigation efforts around Whitehorse, Teslin and Haines Junction — communities "prone to aggressive wildfire behaviour," according to a news release.

Ottawa is providing $13.8 million from the federal Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, and the Yukon government is chipping in $3.2 million.

Rebecca Alty, the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, was in Whitehorse on Thursday to announce the funding. She said climate change is making wildfires more frequent and more intense and so communities need to be prepared.

Alty, the former mayor of Yellowknife, also spoke about her own experience two years ago when that city was evacuated while under threat from major wildfires.

"I know for myself, as well as many friends and family, that was one of the most scary and challenging times of our lives," she said.

"I can tell you just how important these proactive measures are — in some cases, they can literally be the difference between life and death."

The money announced on Thursday will be spent on "retreatment" of areas where some FireSmart work may have been done in the past, as well as new work in some areas to reduce the amount of combustible materials around communities.

"This retreatment of FireSmart work will ensure that the areas remain effective at reducing fire behaviour to help protect nearby homes and critical infrastructure," said Yukon Environment Minister Nils Clarke.

Clarke said some of the money will go toward the construction of the Whitehorse south fuel break, which is still underway.

Funding will also go toward building a 100-metre-wide fuel break in Teslin, starting next year, and a fuel break in Haines Junction starting this fall. Retreatment of FireSmart sites in Haines Junction will also be done next year, Clarke said.    

As of Thursday, there were 82 active wildfires burning across the territory, with 24 of them — mostly in the central territory — receiving a full response.