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Alberta

Preparation, swift response define wildfire season

Published

6 months ago

5 minute read

Aerial view of wildfires near Fox Lake and Garden River in July.

Alberta concludes its 2024 wildfire season with renewed resilience, as vigilance and swift action helped keep communities safe and ready for the future.

Through effective investments, including a historic $155-million wildfire base budget, Alberta’s government ensured the province was prepared to respond throughout the 2024 wildfire season. In anticipation of the wildfire season, Alberta’s government recruited 100 additional wildland firefighters and an additional 40 contract wildland firefighters – in addition to securing more airtankers, heavy equipment, and helicopters equipped with night vision technology. As a result of this preparation, front-line crews were able to respond quickly and fight fires around the clock, containing 85 per cent of wildfires within 24 hours of detection.

“While the 2024 wildfire season was challenging, our coordinated efforts and the resilience of Albertans have been crucial in mitigating the impact. We will continue to adapt and strengthen our wildfire management strategies to protect our communities and natural resources.”

Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks

“This wildfire season has tested our resolve, especially in areas like Fox Lake and Jasper. The coordinated efforts of our firefighters and support teams were instrumental in protecting our communities. We will build on this experience to continue to improve response strategies and initiate new strategies to ensure the safety of all Albertans.”

Martin Long, MLA for West Yellowhead

The 2024 wildfire season began earlier than usual, with 64 carryover wildfires stemming from a mild winter and extremely dry conditions. In response to this elevated danger, Alberta’s government activated an early start to the wildfire season on February 20, 2024, implementing a fire ban and fire permit system to prevent additional human-caused wildfires.

Despite significant challenges, including large wildfires near Jasper that led to evacuations and the tragic loss of an Alberta wildland firefighter, as well as the loss of homes and businesses in the community, Alberta Wildfire demonstrated remarkable coordination, offering immediate aid and resources to Parks Canada, including support personnel, firefighters, aircraft and equipment.

While supporting the Jasper response led by Parks Canada, Alberta Wildfire crews continued to tackle substantial wildfires throughout the province, deploying personnel, aircraft and equipment to combat wildfires and assist impacted communities. Throughout the season, residents of Garden River, John D’Or Prairie, Fox Lake in the Little Red River Cree Nation, and the Chipewyan Cree Nation were also evacuated. Additionally, an area near Peace River and four neighborhoods in Fort McMurray faced short-term evacuations due to wildfires.

“In the wake of the heartbreaking loss from the Jasper wildfire, we are reminded of the strength found in collaboration – with each other and among all orders of government. We are reminded also of the compelling need to invest together in training, preparation, mitigation and adaptation, ensuring that we not only respond effectively, but that we also build a more resilient future.”

Richard Ireland, mayor, Town of Jasper

“The 2024 wildfire season underscored the importance of early planning and preparation. Investments in people, resources and new technology proved invaluable in our response efforts.”

Trevor Lamabe, executive director Wildfire Management Branch

During the 2024 wildfire season, Alberta Wildfire responded to more than 1,210 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area, exceeding last year’s record-breaking total. While the number of fires in 2024 exceeded the total number of fires in 2023, wildfires this season burned less than a third of the area compared with 2023, underscoring the effectiveness of Alberta’s preparation and investments.

Although Oct. 31 marks the end of Alberta’s wildfire season, Alberta Wildfire remains vigilant and ready to respond to any potential wildfires across the province.

Quick Facts

  • Alberta Wildfire responded to more than 1,210 wildfires this year with more than 705,000 hectares burned.
  • In 2023, there were 1,080 wildfires and more than 2.2 million hectares burned.
  • Alberta Wildfire had almost 1,900 firefighters, contractors and support staff working on Alberta’s provincial response.
  • Alberta Wildfire also received assistance from other agencies with more than 1,300 firefighters and support staff arriving from around the world to assist.
  • While most wildfires were caused by people, we had 410 lightning-caused wildfires in July, the highest number in 20-years.

Related information

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This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

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Hours after Liberal election win, Alberta Prosperity Project drumming up interest in referendum

Published on April 29, 2025

By

News release from the Alberta Prosperity Project

Carney’s In. Now what?

You’ve been paying attention. You understand this is really bad. Worse than that, it’s dangerous. The country has somehow chosen several more years of a decade-long Trudeau Travesty…on steroids. Because this new Prime Minister has a three digit IQ, deep and questionable connections and a momentum to accelerate the further dis-integration of a nation we all once proudly belonged to. It’s untrue to say the country is dying. But it’s also not a stretch to say it’s on life support.

The era of Carney Carnage is here. While every province will experience it, there’s no secret he’s placed an extra big bulls-eye on Alberta.

It’s not personal, it’s financial.

His plan includes continuing to limit three of Alberta’s most prosperous sectors: energy, agriculture and, by extension, innovation. To acknowledge this requires we abandon our sense of romanticized national nostalgia. Nostalgia is a trap that prevents us from assessing the reality we exist in.

For instance, GDP is considered the financial heartbeat of a country. Over the past decade of Liberal Leadership, the national GDP has been an abysmal 1.1%. By relatable comparison, Mexico was 4%, the UK was 6%, Australia had 8% growth and the US was a whopping 19%.

That’s great information for an economist, but what does it mean to your pay cheque?

The everyday impact on the average Albertan —say, a teacher or mechanic— of 10 long years of 1% GDP means rent’s up at least 25%, a trip to the grocery store always stings, and driving an older car is the norm because an upgrade is out of reach. Does this sound like your reality?

We aren’t starving, but we’re not thriving, either.

Does this make sense for 4.5 million people living with the third most abundant energy deposits in the world? There’s an absurdity to the situation Albertans find themselves in. It’s akin to being chronically dehydrated while having a fresh water spring in the backyard.

The life you’ve invested for, the future you believed was ahead, isn’t happening.

If Alberta stays on this path.

So what can you, as an Albertan, do about it?

This Fall, we’ll be provided an opportunity. A life raft in the form of a referendum. It requires curiosity, imagination and courage to step into it, but the option will be there — a once in a lifetime shot at prosperity for you and your family: Alberta Sovereignty.

A successful bid means Albertans can finally paddle out of the perilous economic current that’s battered us for ten long years.

Alberta has the resources, talent and spirit of collaboration to create a prosperous future for our families and communities.
If you want your vote to finally mean something, if you feel you deserve more from your pay-cheque, grocery store visits and  need greater control over your family’s future, register your intent to sign YES to sovereignty now.

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Click here to see all upcoming APP events.

WHAT CAN ALBERTANS DO?

Register Your Intent To Vote “YES”
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Alberta

New Alberta Election Act bans electronic vote counting machines, lowers threshold for recalls and petitions

Published on April 29, 2025

By

Alberta’s government is introducing changes to protect democracy, deliver fair and open elections and increase confidence in every vote cast.

Voting gives Albertans a voice in shaping the future of our province. Direct democracy processes like referendums, recall and citizen initiative petitions provide further opportunities for Albertans to be heard and express their views. The proposed Election Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, would make Alberta’s elections and other democratic processes more open, secure and accessible.

“I believe that democracy thrives when people trust the process. These changes would make elections at every level in Alberta more accessible and transparent while protecting their integrity, ensuring confidence in the outcomes. We are also creating more opportunities for Albertans to be involved in direct democracy and to have their say on issues that matter to them.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

Fair and free elections are the foundation of democracy, and Alberta’s government is taking action to protect them. The proposed changes include:

  • Banning the use of electronic tabulators and other automated voting machines, requiring all ballots to be counted by hand to protect election integrity.
  • Eliminating vouching at voting stations to strengthen identification and verification processes.
  • Requiring unofficial vote counts to be completed within 12 hours of polls closing to provide timely, reliable results.
  • Voters being required to cast their ballot in their constituency of residence or by requesting a special ballot.
  • Expanding access to special ballots, allowing any voter to request one without needing to provide a reason while protecting integrity by requiring voters to personally request their special ballot (with exceptions for those needing assistance due to a disability).
  • Updating the Recall Act to make it easier for Albertans to hold elected officials accountable by lowering the signature threshold and extending the timeframe to collect signatures.
  • Improving the Citizen Initiative Act process by setting the threshold for all successful petitions at 10 per cent of eligible voters who participated in the last general election.

“Albertans rightly expect their government to make sure democratic processes are fair and transparent with accurate and timely results. These proposed amendments would deliver on my mandate to review and make changes to strengthen public trust in the integrity of our elections.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

Additional amendments under the Election Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 would:

  • Allow corporate and union contributions for provincial elections while maintaining transparency and accountability through existing financial disclosure requirements.
  • Improve access to voting for First Nations and Métis Settlements during referendums and Senate elections.
  • Enhance emergency response provisions for voting disruptions during referendums and Senate elections.

These changes would help ensure that Alberta’s democratic processes are open, secure, and reflective of the will of Albertans, while creating new opportunities for greater public participation.

Quick facts

  • The Election Act governs the process for provincial elections, by-elections and plebiscites in Alberta and creates the office of the chief electoral officer, the head of Elections Alberta.
  • The Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act governs the financing of provincial elections, Senate elections and referendums, including rules for registered political parties, constituency associations, candidates, leadership contestants and third parties.
  • The Alberta Senate Election Act governs the process for Senate elections in Alberta.
  • The Referendum Act governs the process for referendums in Alberta.
  • The Recall Act outlines the process for Albertans to initiate the recall of an elected MLA.
  • The Citizen Initiative Act allows eligible voters in Alberta to propose legislative or policy initiatives, constitutional referendum questions and establishes rules for advertising and spending.
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