Smoke from Red Lake Fire 12, near Sandy Lake First Nation, drifts over forest on June 7, 2025. Image: Ontario Forest Fires Facebook page

Ontario’s official opposition party would like to see more support for fighting forest fires in northwestern Ontario.

In a visit to Thunder Bay, NDP Leader Marit Stiles highlighted that the provincial government can do more.

“This government is letting Ontario burn,” said Stiles. “Doug Ford is letting Ontario burn, and I would say that he is lying to Ontarians about what the government is actually willing to do to fight those fires.”

“He lied about the planes that he said he ordered, and we are going to continue to hold them to account because we cannot afford to lose any more wildland firefighters or any more of Ontario to these fires.”

There are 46 active fires in the region as of Wednesday.

Among them, eight are not under control, one is being held, 10 are under control, and 27 are being observed.

Roughly 500,000 hectares of fires have been reported in Ontario so far this forest fire season.

“So on the one hand, the province is saying that not enough people applied, but that’s actually not correct,” explained Thunder Bay – Superior North MPP, Lise Vaugeois. “Not enough people with experience to be crew leaders have applied, and that’s because they’re not coming back, and that’s because they’re not being paid properly.”

The MPP added that the fire rangers need to be categorized as firefighters.

The wildland fire hazard ranges from low to high across the Northwest Region.

The hazard is mainly low through the Red Lake fire management area and along the Ontario-Minnesota border from Lake of the Woods to Quetico Provincial Park.

The hazard is moderate through the remainder of the region with the exception of the eastern half of the Nipigon fire management area and the northern part of the Sioux Lookout fire management area, where the hazard is high.