Is the government going to do something about wildfires? The long and dry summer that has extended into the middle of October, along with record temperature highs, has made climate change undeniable to anyone that is open to data, evidence, and facts.

This has led to smoky skies over British Columbia, Alberta, Washington State, and Oregon. While unhealthy air in Vancouver has happened for days at a time in past summers, this is the first time I have seen it linger for weeks.

This is completely unacceptable and the government should be making the prevention and fighting of wildfires a key priority. Environmentalists, First Nations/Indian Tribes, firefighters, and the military should all be working together to get ready for summer 2023. The BC government also needs to be working with Alberta, Washington State, and Oregon to reduce wildfires.

Vancouver should not accept that flooding in November and wildfires in September/October are the new normal. We need a real plan, and I have heard little to nothing from the government on what they are doing about it. 

Fighting wildfires

Instead of just waiting for rain or strong wind to clear out the smoke, the government should be cutting down trees in high-risk wildfire areas and increasing its climate change budget.

Below are some other ideas:

• Declare an emergency to fight wildfires and start taking the issue seriously
• Cut down trees in specific high-risk areas (determined by experts) and replant in low-risk areas
• Devote significant resources and funding to fight wildfires
• Invest in more forest firefighters who work year-round (preventing and fighting fires)
• Invest in First Nation/Indian Tribe communities to hire employees to work on wildfire prevention year-round
• Buy more water bomber planes and helicopters 

The British Columbia Wildfire Service website says that they have a staff of one thousand firefighters. It is unclear if it is a full-time position or seasonal ones. All forest firefighters must attend the BC Wildfire Service’s Boot Camp. The BC Wildfire Service also hires contract workers for the summer, but it’s unclear how many.

I recommend budgeting to double the number of full-time wildfire workers to 2000. It is clear that they are currently understaffed as the wildfires are winning the battle.

Photo: The air quality in Vancouver and Seattle has been terrible in October 2022/ Apple Maps

If you do not believe that the air quality is bad, use Apple Maps. You can zoom out and see what the air quality is like in other parts of the country and the United States. We have worse air quality than New York right now.

Vancouver is the most beautiful place on earth, and all Vancouverites look forward to the summer. But the smoke is ruining Vancouver (and many other places.)

Health Risks of Wildfire Smoke

Recently when I leave the house for a few hours, my eyes are irritated and I have a headache. This is particularly concerning when I was driving back from Whistler on the Sea to Sky Highway, and I had to blink my eyes every 20 seconds because of the redness in my eyes due to the smoke. I now have to carry eyedrops with me, even though I don’t wear contacts.

According to Stanford University, an AQI measurement of 20 is equivalent to smoking one cigarette a day. Recently the smoke level has been up to 150, which is comparable to smoking 7.5 cigarettes per day. That’s almost like smoking half a pack a day, pretty terrible for your health.

For this reason, I don’t leave the house without a K95 mask on (for smoke not for COVID), and when at home I have to run two HEPA filters 24/hours a day (during the smoky periods.)

Photo: The health impacts of Wildfire Smoke/ Minnesota Department of Health

Lawsuits might be required for action

If the government isn’t willing to invest seriously in protection against wildfires, a lawsuit under environmental laws or personal injury laws might be required.

There should be little doubt that being forced to smoke “half a pack a day” because of the inaction of the provincial and federal government could lead to a legitimate lawsuit. These lawsuits could center around heart and lung disease. It’s easy to dismiss climate change as being no one’s or everyone’s fault, but the government is the only one with the resources to actually do anything about it.

Photo: Warning from Environment and Climate Change Canada

Forest fires are becoming very common in British Columbia, and someone needs to do something about the smoke in the air. This is a serious issue that should not be dismissed. The proof is in the air. Let’s stop debating if climate change is a hoax and actually fix some of the problems.

If you are interested in getting involved with the fight against wildfires, please contact your local MP, or consider applying to the BC Wildfire Service. I also encourage the BC Wildfire Service to get in touch with me, so we can work together to spread awareness of the severity of wildfires in British Columbia and possible solutions.

Author: Alistair Vigier is the CEO of ClearwayLaw.com, a website that connects the public with lawyers.