Dear neighbour,
When I went outside on Wednesday morning, the sky was filthy grey, and the air smelled of burning.
Wildfire smoke had smothered Toronto, marking an historically terrible wild fire season. There are over 200 fires, and over 50 are out of control. Global fire activity is at record highs, driven by climate-induced extreme heat and dry conditions.
Over 1,800 people have been evacuated from their homes in Northern Ontario, many of them First Nations. Families have fled to Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, and Toronto. Services are overwhelmed with the need for transportation, housing, food, medical supplies, toiletries. Some evacuees are sleeping in their cars.
There will be more evacuees to come. These fires could last for months. And there’s next year’s wild fire season to contend with, and the next.
The Premier has lashed out at criticism of his government’s response.
We all knew this was coming. For years, opposition parties, public health experts, environmentalists, scientists, the Auditor General, you name it, have been demanding the Ontario government do its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and get us ready for what’s to come.
And what did the Premier do? Not much. Doug Ford declared war on the environment for personal political gain. His government scrapped Ontario’s climate plan, and they have no public plan to help Ontario adapt to climate change. We have no comprehensive plan to respond to extreme wildfires. We have no public plan to cope with extreme heat, flooding, new diseases, emergency response, or civil unrest.
We’re in an emergency now, so our job is to respond to the crisis at hand. All levels of government must work together to protect people, homes and infrastructure. It will also require helping evacuees right now.
Here are two donation drives supporting wildfire evacuees in the Greater Toronto Area:
1. Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT)
The NCCT is collecting:
- New clothing
- New blankets
- Toiletries and personal hygiene products
- Baby supplies
- Other essential items
Drop-off location:
Native Canadian Centre of Toronto
16 Spadina Road
More information here.
2. Care Packages for Wildfire Evacuees in the GTA
Most needed items include:
- Gift cards (Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, Tim Hortons, Uber Eats, etc.)
- New summer clothing (especially for children and youth)
- Books and children's activities
- Phone chargers and power banks
You can donate items directly through their Amazon wish list here or arrange a drop-off here.
Once this unfolding disaster has eased, we must pressure this government to think beyond their friends and their next election cycle and prepare all of us for extreme weather.
That will require recommitting to a comprehensive climate action plan that involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero and investing in services and infrastructure to help us respond to emergencies and adapt and survive.
Humans are remarkable at surviving, and it’s time we put our ingenuity and creativity to work.
Sincerely,
Jessica Bell
MPP, University-Rosedale