Canada Strengthens Wildfire Response Through Training

On March 21, 2025, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson announced a $16.3-million investment in 25 projects through the Government of Canada’s Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program (FMWCC) – Training Fund to increase fire management capacity across the country.  

Project Name: Peerless Trout First Nation Firefighter Training
Recipient: Peerless Trout First Nation
Location: Peerless Lake, Alberta
Funding from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan): $93,000
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 12 community members in Type II Wildland Firefighter Training, as they requested support to train additional crew members to ensure in-house capability to combat fires within their community.

Project Name: Prince Albert Grant Council – Fire Guardians Pilot Project
Recipient: Prince Albert Development Corporation Management Co. Ltd.
Location: Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Funding from NRCan: $946,330
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 20 youth in wildfire prevention and mitigation by providing opportunities for skills development and job coaching in the wildland fire industry. This will aim to address the need identified by the communities to improve local and regional capacity in northern fire prone regions.   

Project Name: Firefighter Training in the Whitefeather Forest
Recipient: Whitefeather Community Resource Managment Authority
Location: Red Lake/Pikangikum, Ontario
Funding from NRCan: $1,579,655
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 144 community members in Type II Wildland Firefighter Training in Pikangikum, which aims to address the identified need to develop a firefighting workforce that can be quickly mobilized to increase community preparedness and to support Indigenous-led approaches.

Project Name: Firetack Training
Recipient: Sturgeon Lake Resources Ltd.
Location: Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Alberta
Funding from NRCan: $214,272
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 48 community members in Type II Wildland Firefighter Training that is needed to address the low firefighter numbers available within the local community.

Project Name: Wildland Firefighters Training
Recipient: Sq’éwqel (Seabird Island)
Location: Agassiz, British Columbia
Funding from NRCan: $161,912
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 20 youth participants in Indigenous communities in wildfire prevention and mitigation by providing opportunities for skills development in the wildland fire industry, addressing a gap identified by the community to offer opportunity for youth to learn about wildfires, receive training and learn about career paths in this area. 

Project Name: Fire for the Future
Recipient: Muskeg Lake Cree Nation
Location: Marcelin, Saskatchewan
Funding from NRCan: $204,093
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 30 community members in wildland fire training to address the need of the community to alleviate and mitigate the dangers of a wildfire by building capacity of First Nations in the region.

Project Name: Community-led Wildfire Risk Assessments and Mitigation Strategies
Recipient: Yukon First Nation Wildfire (YFNW)
Location: Whitehorse, Yukon
Funding from NRCan: $1,508,000
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 126 community members across various Yukon First Nations communities, situated in remote and forested areas, in basic wildfire training including traditional land management practices and emergency training to identify wildfire-risks and to host workshops to collaboratively develop mitigation strategies. This aims to address YFNW’s need to empower Indigenous communities to respond to wildfires.

Project Name: IFNA Wildland Interface Firefighter Project
Recipient: Independent First Nations Alliance (IFNA)
Location: Sioux Lookout, Ontario
Funding from NRCan: $1,999,999
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 50 participants in Type I Wildland Firefighter Training, while also leveraging partnerships, technology and youth engagement, and will aim to address the identified need for additional trained staff and crews in IFNA’s remote communities to increase the capacity to manage wildfires locally.

Project Name: Enhancing Wildfire Resilience in KO Communities
Recipient: Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO)
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario
Funding from NRCan: $329,109
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 25 youth in wildfire prevention and mitigation by providing opportunities for skills development and job coaching in the wildland fire industry, addressing the community’s need to build local fire management practices and enhance community resiliency to wildfires.

Project Name: Lil'wat Forestry Wildland Firefighting Training
Recipient: Lil'wat Forestry Ventures LP
Location: Mount Currie, British Columbia
Funding from NRCan: $1,232,460
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 72 community members in Type II Wildland Firefighter Training, which aims to address Lil'wat Nations’ identified need to enhance resiliency to wildfire through the development of a community-based workforce with the skills to both prevent and respond to wildfires in the local area.

Project Name: Firetack Training Retreat – Treaty 7
Recipient: Piikani Employment Services
Location: Brocket, Alberta
Funding from NRCan: $466,110
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 32 Treaty 7 First Nations and Métis community members in Type I Wildland Firefighter Training, addressing Piikani Employment Services’ identified need to have more trained and experienced wildland firefighters to respond to wildfires, both within Treaty 7 communities and Alberta.

Project Name: Youth Wildfire Training
Recipient: National Indigenous Fire Safety Council
Location: Tyendinaga, Ontario
Funding from NRCan: $909,100
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 420 youth across Canada in wildfire prevention and mitigation, addressing the pressing needs of Indigenous communities facing with the escalating threat of wildfires and bridging the gaps in the shortage of trained Indigenous peoples in wildfire management roles.

Project Name: Mamow Wuskaweewin – Moving Together
Recipient: Metis Settlements General Council
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Funding from NRCan: $499,330
Project Summary: This project supports training 320 participants in wildland firefighting, wildfire resiliency and reconciliation to address the need to involve and engage Metis Settlements people in wildfire management dialogues.

Project Name: Fire Crew Training
Recipient: Geraldton Community Forest Inc. in partnership with Matawa First Nations Management
Location: Geraldton, Ontario
Funding from NRCan: $933,312
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 36 community members to a Type II standard across the nine Matawa Tribal Council communities, which aims to address the need for enhanced trained crews within Indigenous communities that have a real need for increased forest fire safety.

Project Name: OKIB Wildland Fire Training
Recipient: Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB)
Location: Vernon, British Columbia
Funding from NRCan: $868,201
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 30 firefighters to a Type II and III standard, responding to OKIB’s need for improved wildfire response and addressing the shortage of certified Type II and III wildland firefighters within the community.

Project Name: Responding to the Interface-Wildfire Training
Recipient: International Association of Fire Fighters
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Funding from NRCan: $1,077,661
Project Summary: This project is in addition to a 2024 budget announcement and supports the training of wildland firefighter training to up to 925 structural and community-based fire personnel to address the need to better prepare and equip structural firefighters to fight wildfires, with a focus on the wildland urban interface.

Project Name: MLTC Community Wild Fire Preparedness
Recipient: Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC)
Location: Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan
Funding from NRCan: $278,000
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 170 participants to a Type II and III standard to address the communities’ identified need for additional support for wildfire training to increase their capacity to prepare for and respond to wildfire events.

Project Name: Firetrack Community Training Initiative
Recipient: Neyaskweyahk Wildland Firefighting
Location: Maskwacis, Alberta
Funding from NRCan: $93,078
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 16 community members in Type II Wildland Firefighter Training in Ermineskin Cree Nation, which aims to address the community’s need to have fully trained and skilled community members to join the workforce to respond to wildfires within the nation and support the efforts of the provincial government.

Project Name: Building Wildfire Response Capacity Through Engagement With Local Wildfire Response Agencies
Recipient: Thompson Rivers University
Location: Kamloops, British Columbia
Funding from NRCan: $1,692,156
Project Summary: This project supports the training of up to 260 firefighters. In partnership with BC Wildfire Service, Thompson Rivers University aims to address the need to enhance wildfire response capacity, particularly in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

Project Name: St’at’imc Climate Emergency Response and Preparation
Recipient: Lillooet Tribal Council
Location: Lillooet, British Columbia
Funding from NRCan: $612,916
Project Summary: This project supports the training of five firefighters to a Type II standard and 90 firefighters to a Type III standard in five St’at’imc communities of Bridge River, Cayoose Creek, Ts'kw'aylaxw First Nation, Tsal'alh and Xaxli'p that are continually and increasingly impacted by climate emergencies with annual risks of wildfires continuing to increase in severity.

Project Name: Onion Lake Cree Nation Wildland Fire
Recipient: Onion Lake Cree Nation
Location: Onion Lake, Saskatchewan
Funding from NRCan: $31,050
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 16 firefighters to a Type II standard to address the identified need of Onion Lake Cree Nation for a well-trained local response team aiming to enhance community capacity and ensure an effective response to future wildfire events.

Project Name: St’at’imc Youth Wildfire Pathways Project
Recipient: Sqwem Sqwem Consulting Services
Location: Lillooet, British Columbia
Funding from NRCan: $88,211
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 20 youth in wildfire prevention and mitigation by providing youth with opportunities for skills development and job coaching in the wildland fire industry, which aims to address the identified need of St’at’imc nations to increase local capacity and resources available.

Project Name: Wildfire Training
Recipient: Lower Similkameen Indian Band
Location: Keremeos, British Columbia
Funding from NRCan: $188,083
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 30 participants in pre-burn and post-burn assessments, traditional ecological knowledge and community engagement in order to address the identified need of Lower Similkameen Indian Band to increase wildfire management capacity to better respond to wildfire events within their community.

Project Name: SP100 Training for Bimose Member Communities
Recipient: Bimose Tribal Council
Location: Kenora, Ontario
Funding from NRCan: $157,033
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 48 firefighters in SP-100 Wildland Fire Fighter Certification in the 10 member First Nations: Eagle Lake First Nation, Iskatewizaagegan #39 Independent First Nation, Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation, Shoal Lake #40 First nation, Washagamsis Bay First Nation, Wabuskang First Nation, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, Wabaseemoong Independent Nations and Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek. The project aims to address the pressing need for enhanced wildfire response capabilities within Bimose First Nation communities.

Project Name: Riding Mountain Indigenous Fire Guardians
Recipient: Keeseekoowenin First Nation
Location: Elphinstone, Manitoba
Funding from NRCan: $135,000
Project Summary: This project supports the training of 30 Indigenous community members working towards becoming Indigenous Guardians, in collaboration with Parks Canada. This training will aim to provide participants with a variety of skills and competencies with the aim to increase the Nation’s capacity to actively and more efficiently manage wildfire on the traditional territory.