Canadian fire chiefs deliver climate change message to United Nations following devastating season

A pair of Canadian fire chiefs were in New York this week to speak at a United Nations conference on climate change.

West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund and Halifax assistant chief Sherry Dean were invited by the Canadian government to address delegates at an event focused on carbon pricing and the impacts of warming global temperatures.

Brolund focused on his experience fighting massive wildfires in the B.C. Interior this summer, describing the "toughest three days of his career" as entire neighbourhoods burned.

"Climate change became very real for West Kelowna on Aug. 16," Brolund said, referring to the date the McDougall Creek fire rapidly grew, jumped Okanagan Lake and prompted the City of Kelowna to declare a state of emergency as the fire eventually grew to 140 square kilometers.

Watch | Brolund describes his experience fighting wildfires: 

'Our world turned upside down': West Kelowna fire chief calls for climate action at United Nations panel

1 year ago

Duration 3:29

Jason Brolund was invited to New York to speak about his experience fighting massive wildfires this summer, where he described the 'toughest three days' of his career and urged leaders to think about how to act to prevent worsening climate disasters.

Brolund said firefighters are now battling blazes "on a scope and scale that's nearly impossible for us to be successful against," in part because of a changing climate leading to conditions that make it easier for fires to burn and grow. 

"Over $20 million was spent reacting to my fire, not to mention the insurance losses, which could be triple that," Brolund told his audience.

"What could we have accomplished if we used that same amount of money proactively? We're spending the money on the wrong end of the problem."

Brolund concluded his speech by encouraging leaders to "make the change we need" to fight climate change, a message later reinforced by the assistant fire chief from Halifax.

'No question we are experiencing climate change'

More than 15 million hectares have gone up in smoke across the country this year, shattering the previous record of 7.6 million hectares in 1989 as well as the 10-year average of 2.5 million hectares.

So far this year, 6,118 wildfires have been reported across Canada and nearly 200,000 Canadians have been placed under an evacuation order this season.

Sherry Dean, assistant chief of Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency, took to the stage after Brolund and gave an account of what she called an "extraordinary year" of fire activity in Nova Scotia.

"Environmental impacts from climate change have plagued our city in each season and challenged our firefighters, residents, government officials and businesses," Dean said.

"Our firefighters, our support divisions, are responding to emergencies but they're also trying to keep their families and their properties safe."

Dean spoke specifically about the Upper Tantallon wildfire, which began on May 28 in a neighbourhood about 25 kilometres outside of Halifax. Officials said the fire destroyed more than 200 structures, including approximately 150 homes.

"Three of our own members lost their homes that day, and yet they remained on the frontline, fighting to save the homes of their neighbours, knowing that their homes had been completely lost," Dean said.

Dean concluded by saying "the people of Nova Scotia have no question that we are experiencing climate change affecting our communities and our livelihoods."

'A matter of survival'

Following the chiefs, Canada's federal minister of environment and climate change, Steven Guilbeault, said people living in communities impacted by wildfire understand that tackling climate change "is now a matter of survival" while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the devastating effect fires, smoky skies, flooding and storms have had on people across the country.

The event was organized by the government of Canada and the and the UN Office for Partnerships in an effort to promote the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge, which was launched by Trudeau in 2021.

Partners in the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge are either implementing or are scheduled to implement carbon pricing and have committed to the goal of increasing coverage of carbon pricing to 60 per cent of global emissions by 2030.

The other partner countries are Chile, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Canada is encouraging more jurisdictions and organizations to join.