‘Far from being in the clear’: BC extends state of emergency as wildfires, drought drag on | FULL

The rain provided our firefighters a chance to breathe but we are still far from being in the clear Wildfire activity has been exacerbated by the severe drought that we’re experiencing across the province 27 out of 34 drought basins are currently at level 4 or level five with level 5 being the most severe

While a handful of basins have ticked down a step we have not experienced anywhere near the rainfall needed to see those levels come down in a significant way and in the northern part of the province they didn’t see nearly the same level of rain as the Southern and coastal regions the

Northeastern regions are expected to continue to see unseasonably warm temperatures smoke and strong winds this has led to previously in-control fires becoming out of control again and could lead to more extreme fire Behavior with these factors in mind and on the advice of Emergency Management Wildfire officials I am extending the provincial

State of emergency for an additional two weeks in case additional extraordinary powers to issue orders under the emergency program act are required to respond the nature and unpredictability of the wildfires that we are experiencing this year means that we all need to remain Vigilant we will continue to assess the

Situation and respond and adapt as needed next week students will be returning to schools throughout BC for some families though the start of school won’t be the same currently there are two public schools and areas under evacuation order and there are 14 public schools and three Independent Schools under evacuation alert

My colleagues in the ministry of emergency oh pardon me that’s me my colleagues in the Ministry of Education and child care are working closely with all Wildfire impacted school districts to ensure that they have alternate plans for each of their students should their school not be able to open this may

Involve supporting students to start school in a neighboring District moving schools to another building to start their learning or moving to online learning through one of the provincial online schools the province is supporting school districts to ensure students teachers and staff are getting the supports that

They need to cope with the impacts of the wildfires for example the north Okanagan shoe swap school district is providing additional counseling services for students teachers and staff recognizing that some of them have lost homes due to the wildfires I’d like to thank the leadership and staff the leadership of the staff

School districts within fire affected communities who are working tirelessly to support students and their communities during this time it is incredibly important that we all come together and look after one another wildfires can impact our mental health in vastly different ways the province health authority and other agencies are working

To connect people to vital Mental Health Services should they need them if you need mental health supports or just want someone to talk to please call the BC mental health support line for free at 310-6789 they are available to help 24 hours a day seven days a week

Additionally youth aged 12 to 24 can access virtual supports on the BC Foundry app and Foundry virtual at Beats at the website is foundrybc.ca so for clarity again youth age 12 to 24 can access virtual supports on The Foundry BC app and Foundry virtual at foundrybc.ca I cannot understand how important these

Tools are if you need someone to talk to please do not hesitate before I turn it over to minister Ralston I’d like to stress one more time that we are still in Peak Wildfire season the rain that we experienced over the last couple of days has brought some

Relief in the South but the Wildfire season continues people across the province particularly in the north must stay vigilant and be prepared to evacuate if needed so please continue to be prepared have an emergency plan and a grab-and-go kit ready for you your family and your pets pre-register for emergency support

Services at ESS .gov.bc.ca your first nation or local Authority will provide information on evacuation routes and evacuation reception centers where you can access emergency Support Services and if you are under an evacuation order you must leave the area immediately this helps protect your community your family yourself and First Responders

Thank you I’d like to now turn it over to minister Wilson foreign everyone I’m Bruce Ralston minister of forests so honored to to be again today on the traditional territory of the musgrim Squamish and slavery to his people there are currently 422 wildfires burning across British Columbia

12 of those are what’s called fires of note those are fires that are especially visible or a threat to Public Safety while the cooler recent cooler temperatures have been a welcome change from the heat we endured earlier this month the BC Wildfire service continues to work continuously to bring these fires under control

Milder weather and rain in the southern half of the province will allow Crews to make good progress in the coming days today the Northwest is braced for strong winds on the northeast as I’m experiencing more hot and dry conditions we have shifted some Crews and aircraft

To this to the North in anticipation of this shift let me once again thank our brave fire personnel as well as our very welcome out of Province Personnel from Mexico South Africa Australia Ontario as well as from the Canadian Armed Forces as we approach the final long weekend of

The summer I also want to remind everyone to continue to be cautious and Vigilant though most wildfires during the summer months are lightning cause the majority of wildfires that occur in shoulder seasons are caused by humans we ask everyone to do their part in preventing human-caused fire starts by

Following all fire bans open burning including campfires is prohibited across most of BC particularly as ongoing elevated drought conditions in much of British Columbia increase the potential for wildfires in recognition of the dry hot conditions and elevated winds we have seen in the Northwest category one campfires will

Again be prohibited you’ll have to pay attention and please do to your local prohibitions and restrictions as Regional weather will be variable as we transition into the fall I’d like now to focus on drought conditions in British Columbia in the South I know many people have been

Relieved to see some rain in recent days but the short-term rain we are seeing in the South does provide some relief in areas that experienced rain last week and this week May see degrees decreases in their drought level however while these rains are welcome at this stage they are not big enough

Significant enough to change the trajectory of the ongoing drought conditions here in the province as Minister ma mentioned although we have seen some slight improvements in a few regions the drought in many watersheds continues to slowly get worse and more severe right now nearly 80 percent of British

Columbia’s at drought level four or five five is the most severe drought classification possible several factors have caused high-risk province-wide drug conditions this year including less rain than usual over the last 12 months and the early snow melt this past spring at this point we need several inches or

More rainfall over an extended period to help alleviate our drought conditions however significant rainfall doesn’t typically come until the fall meaning we can anticipate drug conditions to persist in the province for the next while it is a serious situation it is likely that an increasing number of people communities First Nations

Businesses and wildfires well life will face challenges that’s why we’re asking people to conserve water access to Water by food producers is crucial for food security for all of us water supply is also vital for firefighting and for the operations of many services and businesses we are working hard to make sure people

Have the water they need right now there are four targeted temporary protection orders in places to help restore water flow levels and protect the local fish populations these orders do not impact and let me repeat do not impact water use for people’s personal use Market vegetables fruit trees or livestock

These decisions are made as an absolutely Last Resort because we recognize the very real impact this has on farmers and businesses ahead of these orders the ministry of force sent letters describing the situation and asking water licensees in the area to conserve water voluntarily in addition to letters to licensees

Public information meetings were held in affected areas Ministry staff also met with local First Nations to collaborate and discuss drought response options since June of 2023 Ministry staff have held bi-weekly drought meetings with representatives from local provincial and federal governments to undertake a collaborative approach to BC’s drought conditions

And if the current drought Outlook continues The Province may need to issue additional fish population protection orders we are doing this conservation work to preserve drinking water and water for our food supply and the health of fish and animals the province is stepping up to help farmers and ranchers which what with

What is a very tough summer that’s understood and recognized many farmers are already seeing challenges from wildfires and drought and many stepped up to voluntarily conserve water because of the collective effort of our communities we were able to delay the need for temporary protection orders that’s why we’re working actively with

The federal government for agric Recovery funding to help disaster impacted producers recover and resume farming operations and we will have more details on this support coming soon as well we’re working to secure more feed for livestock through the access to feed program we know that orders of this nature

Significantly impact water users and we are continuously monitoring monitoring impacted waterways for rainfall and water flows thank you to everyone in British Columbia who’s being voluntarily reducing their water use and those who are adhering to the water restrictions and temporary protection orders all of this makes a positive difference

Let me turn this back to Mr moth thank you thank you minister in addition to minister Ralston and myself we have on the line Cliff Chapman director of provincial operations with the BC Wildfire service Peter Brock executive director of regional operations with the ministry of Emergency Management climate Readiness Connie Chapman director of

Manage Water Management with the ministry of force Dave Campbell head of the river forecast center and mark Raymond executive director of the Agricultural resource division with the Ministry of Agriculture and food happy to take some questions thank you as a reminder for reporters in the phone please press star one to enter

The queue the Star One Raymond executive director of the Agricultural resource division with the Ministry of Agriculture and food happy to take some questions thank you as a reminder for reporters in the phone please press star one to enter the queue that’s star one to ask a

Question for media in the room please line up at the microphone provided and wait to be called please make sure to provide your full name and add the media will be limited to one question and one follow-up we will take questions from the media in the room first uh our first question is

From apical Turner CTV this question is about the drought conditions um what happens if we see another dry fall do we have plans in place I know we’re counting on rain this fall to kind of ease the drought conditions but what happens if we don’t see that rain

I’ll start and then pass it over to minister Ralston we may engage a river forecast Center or Connie Chapman to provide response as well I will say that this is it is a concern for us that the drought season could last beyond this calendar year and into the following year it is

One of the reasons why we have been imploring communities and water users to take voluntary measures to conserve water now it is a very serious situation that British Columbia has not faced before and it is absolutely necessary that people change their mindset about water here in British Columbia as a

Result of the impacts that we’re seeing due to climate change Minister Ralston can speak more specifically thank you very much as Minister Ma has said the the drought conditions in British Columbia are something that we have not seen before we’re of course not alone in this drought conditions in

North America indeed was reading this morning and in India they’ve had the least amount of rain in August since 1901. so um people will obviously see the connection to to climate change here in British Columbia we have a very well developed internal a system of managing a drought and

Preparing for drought and the the contingency plans that of for events that you speak of one hopes that they don’t happen uh are our are developed so um but uh I’ll turn it over perhaps to Peter Brock who might uh be able to add a little bit more about the operation of

Those plans yeah hi Peter Brock executive director for provincial and Regional operations for Emergency Management climate Readiness so uh should mention that we have been engaged with communities from the start uh early in the spring discussing drought is a concern um communities are aware of that concern we’ve worked together to try to

Implement tools that would better serve communities to work through the drum season examples of some of those tools are really encouraging and supporting communities and updating their emergency response scarcity or drought plans to ensure that they’re better positioned to look at restrictions and look at public education campaigns to really support

That sort of unified effort through all of his government both local provincial on trying to adjust drought we’ve looked at going into communities uh specifically working with them to help them with their emergency plans for drought and continue to support and monitor their requirements in that

Regard so maybe just to take on to the minute comments there we do take drought very seriously we are not out of the woods yet and so we’ll remain we also have Connie Chapman who’s uh the acting director of The Water Management Branch perhaps if you wish to add any

Further comments Connie please go ahead thank you Minister Ralston as Mr Wilson has said drought is serious and so is Peter we will continue to monitor it throughout the fall and into the winter and um action will continue to occur throughout the entire season in regards to preparation for the next

Um real drought season that that normally starts after Russia thank you yeah do the environment Minister did he call in George uh Heyman is he on the line he’s not okay um I’m not sure if this can be answered then it’s about the Joffrey Lake situation

Um is anyone able to comment on that situation if I I don’t have an answer I’m aware of the situation that you mentioned you’re right it does fall within the jurisdiction the minister of the environment the week we can follow up with you and get you a more detailed

Answer on that question thank you we are going to take questions from the line now uh we have Keith balderley from Global go ahead Keith seems to me I’ll ask on that New York Times the last few days just published some huge investigative piece on the groundwater situation particularly in western United States

And found alarmingly low um aquifers and groundwater Moore’s coming is being taken out that is going in I’m just wondering how B and Mr Wilson you mentioned this is not a BC Province it’s everywhere Indian Western North America how does DC’s drought situation compare to say the western United States

Which seems to be in a very perilous situation thank you let me just give a a beginning of an answer and then I’ll perhaps turn it over to Ronnie Chapman the the reason for passing the water sustainability act and it worked its way through the legislature and became a law in 2000

2016 was to end many of the provisions have taken some time to be proclaimed enforced but are now enforced was a forward-looking view about water management and the prospects of drought into the future so uh I we have a a a a good a strong legislative framework to

Uh to deal with the challenges of one of the aspects of the water sustainability Act is the requirement for those people who access aquifers with by by means of wells and other methods to register so that there can be a detailed inventory for for future management purposes and that’s

One of the principal purposes of the act and we’ve had some success in encouraging people to to register and that enables a further big bigger profile of the aquifers in British Columbia for future planning but perhaps at this point then in terms of any detail about where or how British

Columbia might compare with the western United States I’ll turn it over to Connie Chapman if she’s able to add anything further on that point thank you Minister Ralph then um so just to start you know BC has taken a proactive approach in regards to mapping aquifers as best as possible

With the relevant data that is currently at hand and looking at Future monitoring um opportunities within that space we do have the groundwater monitoring wall system in which the aquifers are uh monitored on a regular basis to look for those changes I think one thing that we

Need to keep in mind is that uh most things in nature are connected so our aquifers are connected to our streams and they’re connected within the watersheds to each other and so is the hydrologic cycle and so what we have to be cognizant of is that water water flows and changes movement between

Aquifers and streams and is really reliant on that recharge from our rainfall and that rainfall as we are currently seeing we haven’t had much of it over the last 12 months as Minister Olson said and so often we see patterns throughout areas where if one area is uh seeing that sort

Of pattern we may also see it and so this is where that vigilance comes in in regards to um monitoring uh the systems that we have in place but also with some of that behavioral change in regards to how we View and utilize um the water within the province and uh

Enacting the Water sustainability act to show that good stewardship of the the resource thank you Keith do you have a follow-up yeah if I recall when the water sustainability act worked its way through the legislature some of the concerns voiced at a time War were there going to be enough resources allocated

To make sure this act functioned in the way it was designed so the minister mentioned registration for example is there is there evidence there’s a lot of uptake and voluntary registration and is there any enforcement Powers being contemplated going forward if the situation seems to be you know deteriorating so rapidly

Um I’ll uh let me let me begin an answer and then I’ll ask Connie to give this specific statistics um I think we’ve been very fortunate in that many people in The Province recognize of the importance of water and the need to follow the the regulation that’s been

Put in place to register their groundwater use there it has been a work in progress uh the initially the regulation that required registration was uh delayed three years from 2016 to 2019 and then a delayed a further three years there’s been a widespread notice and consultation whether it’s with Community groups

Whether I think there’s been a quarter of a million messages of various types through various uh media advertisements and in some cases in important water restricted areas or drought prone areas there’s been in personal visits by Ministry staff to water users encouraging them to register so there are there are those who have

Yet to register and we’re optimistic that the the circumstances now will encourage people to register there are mechanisms for enforcement that is an absolute Last Resort but there are there have been a few enforcement actions taking place in the province so very very few but so far I

Think we’ve enjoyed the confidence of the public and the support of the public and recognizing that the public view of water as an unlimited resource infinitely into the Future Has dramatically changed and will continue to change as as to climate changes so I Connie may Chapman may wish to add to that

Thank you minister so just building off what six years a number of individuals 7 711 applications come in in regards to existing use groundwater it’s critical that we understand that usage to be able to um have the understanding of what’s going on in regards to withdrawal and demand

Within those watersheds we are also seeing new use applications come in um for new groundwater use these applications uh provide a substantial amount of data in regards to well information withdrawal information and location and helps in regards to that stewardship of the Water Resource throughout the province but also for

That future planning and the ability to um understand the different cycles of how the water is used throughout oh thank you our next question is from Jane scripneck black press go ahead Gene I think it’s for me Lauren Collins I’m not sure um my question I think is for uh

Minister Ralston and then Cliff Chapman but as BC is possibly moving beyond the worst parts of the Wildfire season and heading toward the end how does that affect the BC Wildfire service this year as the organization has moved into year-round operations let me begin and then I’ll turn it over

To Cliff certainly after every Wildfire season there is a a process of uh evaluation reflecting uh upon what took place during the season and and I want to add that the season is is not over there are several hundred uh active wildfires in the province at this point

So uh we’re looking forward to the end of the season there will be that internal review given that this has been a very very tough season I including two deaths of firefighters it’s one that will be scrutinized and and reflected upon in order to better plan for the

Following year one thing that the government did in the last budget cycle was take the the core of BC Wells for fire service which was year round and dramatically expand the number of full-time year-round people there that’s to assist in in planning and developing responses into the future

And that’s something that uh took place this year and uh will reflect upon that and into the next budget cycle as well as to whether that that worked uh in the way that we wanted or whether there needs to be further changes there but that’s a matter that

We’ll take advice on from the BC Wildfire service on their evaluation of this year’s uh program so maybe I could turn it over now to Cliff Chapman thank you Minister and thank you for the question I I think Minister you’ve covered it quite well I’ll dive a little

Bit deeper into a couple pieces that were we’re already starting to plan out what the fall is going to look like specifically around really the other pillars of Emergency Management so we’re we’re continuing and we’ll continue to invest heavily into the prevention program prevention and mitigation whether that’s fuel reduction work

Around communities I think a significant increase in cultural and prescribed fire trying to eliminate the fuels both in the fall but also as we transition into spring 2024 so that we have you know more Community protection utilizing fire in a time when we have more control over

It unlike uh you know the challenging conditions that we faced in July and August the big one for me is recovery uh and Recovery really has two streams on it there’s the actual recovery of the land base uh communities that have to obviously go through their recovery process with the devastating impacts it

Fires this season as well as where we’ve put you know machine guards in around all of these fires I saw an estimate the other day somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 000 kilometers of machine guards have been pushed by our organization this summer we need to go and

Rehabilitate that land we need to try to get it back to be whole again um in some areas in other areas we’ll leave them as strategic fuel breaks for next season and years to come the other part of recovery that is super important to the organization is the human

Recovery as Minister Ralston has mentioned this fire season has been extremely heavy for the public in BC and it as well as for BC Wildfire Service as an organization we have not experienced some of the things that we have experienced this year and our organization and I’m very proud of the

People in it they continue to show up we’re now turning the corner into September uh we got a little bit of rain in the South which I think is is something to be celebrated after a very challenging last four months however as we’ve heard on the briefing today and

I’ll just go a little bit deeper the north is not not getting rain they are not getting any rain in the next 48 hours what they are going to receive is significant winds and as we talked about at the last briefing there are some fires on the landscape up there that we

Were talking about on these media briefings back in April May and June um as well as some additional fires over the last couple of months that are going to get that wind on them over the next 48 hours and we are suspecting or we’re forecasting those winds to be between 40

And 60 kilometers an hour that’s a significant wind after seven days of drying in the north so I just don’t want to lose focus on the fact that the north is not experiencing the same weather that we’re experiencing in the South right now um so I just wanted to get that out

There additionally in terms of the fall and and all hazards and and the continuation of our Evolution as a service uh we will be you know making sure that our people are looked after making sure they get the supports they need to reintegrate back to their base

Jobs as well as making sure they’re available and ready for potential deployments to other hazards that this province may need us for uh it’s something that we’ve been focusing on for the last 12 months trying to build that organizational structure that allows us to operate more holistically

12 months of the year we’re we’re on that path we have availability we did respond to some other hazards this spring and we suspect that we may be asked to respond to some hazards this fall and as we go into the winter so lots of work uh underway and and again

Uh for us big priority around recovery both landscape recovery and and human recovery so that we are ready and able to respond to what comes next Lauren sorry about that um do you have a follow-up I do yes earlier Minister Ralston mentioned that in the shoulder season the majority of wildfires are human

Caused ask the public to be careful and then in the shoe swap a number of community members have been taking training to help with the Wildfire fight how much is the province or BC Wildfire service looking to engage the community in the coming months to both be better

Educated around wildfires and maybe even encouraging that training perhaps I can start on an answer there um one of the things that BC Wildfire service has developed uh over the recent fire Seasons beginning in 2017 is uh is a different approach to community response to wildfires and there is a

Program within the ministry the community response Network where members of the public who want to help who have expertise or equipment to offer are given training and learn the how-to that they might contribute by fitting into the command structure of the overall fight against any particular Wildfire so certainly

That’s something that the service welcomes it is a an evolving standard in the sense that each each Fire season brings new lessons and uh and BC Wildfire service I would say is a is a learning organization in the sense that they are responsive to public concerns and and evolve their uh their response

Based on uh on the experience of any individual season so that’s uh certainly something that is uh is taking place in terms of uh um the uh this the difference between lightning starts and and human starts that statistic I’ll I’ll get uh Cliff to answer in terms of uh what’s the basis

Of that uh that study and uh and how we might better prepare in the in the months that stand immediately in front of us particular thank you Minister I appreciate the question around uh around the community’s interest and and the continuation of that interest as we go into

Uh the non-response months of Fire season which we’re not there yet I just stress that again we’re not there yet but uh first off I just want to thank uh all the communities that we’ve been president uh through the course of the last four months this far season we have

Been met generally speaking with very open arms uh our staff feel appreciated in those communities they feel appreciated when they have to go get gas or food or whatever it is they need to do in those local communities we cannot do it without you and we appreciate the

Support that’s been there on top of that uh and it was actually ahead of this fire season that we had started to explore additional response capacity for BC that included a direct relationship with the Cattlemen’s Association of BC with First Nation Emergency Services Society to work with First Nation

Communities to stand up response resources we have an industry agreement where we work with contractors to ensure that we have equipment that can be signed up as well as additional human capacity that are familiar with working in the forest and they’re an amazing asset at understanding what the fuel

Conditions are what the terrain looks like and they they live and work in in the forest so uh and then on top of that we had just kicked off what we’re calling the Cooperative Community response project which is a project that is essentially to bring on community

Members that are willing to take a very sort of low level of training or a basic level of training to ensure safety and general firefighting tactics uh and then we can sign those community members up ideally through a local fire department or local fire brigade as we’ve seen in

The shoe shop as well as what we’ve seen on the Rossmoor Lake Fire and other fires across the province this is something that we know we need to and want to expand we want to work with local governments we want to work with fire departments across BC as well as

The general public that are willing and want to support response should their Community see an impact from a wildfire in the future so we’re going to expand that program we’re going to look to put some some more parameters around it so that communities know how to how to

Access it and and what it’s going to mean now initially we’re talking about response but those Partnerships with the Cattlemen’s First Nation Emergency Services industry and and many others that I’m not mentioning that relationship is not just a response relationship it is a relationship across the four pillars of Emergency Management

As it pertains to fire so we work together on preparedness how many resources do we need where how do we work together on that response obviously as we’ve seen and we’re continuing to learn and evolve but it importantly also in prevention and mitigation cultural and prescribed fire is is can’t be done

Alone we want to do it in partnership with communities First Nations and local governments uh and then as well with the recovery whether again that’s Community recovery or landscape recovery so Partnerships is the way we need to move forward as it pertains to Wildfire in this province we will need to continue

To work together to get to the best outcomes we can for the public of BC next question is from Andrew McCloy the day go ahead Andrew yeah hi question for Minister Ralston uh you were talking about temporary fish protection orders earlier and you described them as a last resort uh my

Understanding is the water sustainability act also allows making those decisions on curtailment through seniority uh what’s known as the first in time first in rights or fit for uh process so I’m wondering why you went to the fish protection order route instead of the fit for a route

Thank you thank you Andrew the first in time first and right as well as a well-established legal principle for water usage it’s basically as it sounds if uh if you’re the first user to apply in your licensed you get priority over subsequent registrants and some of the

Water licenses uh go back uh decades if not many many decades so that that principle is there what the fish protection order section of the water sustainability act gives authority to override the ordinary law there it’s an extraordinary remedy um and that’s the basis the legal basis

On which a fish protection order is made so it it gives authority to override the the way in which ordinarily water usage would be allocated and that’s that’s the legal authority to do what is done and you do have a follow-up um yeah absolutely I understand that

That’s the legal Authority for doing it I guess it’s the the question is is why like I I my understanding is is it allows for people who are growing Market vegetables or who are raising livestock to continue using water and in particular it means people who are raising forage crops have to stop

Um so I guess I’m wondering what you would say to somebody who’s growing forage crops he says well hey we’re part of the food chain as well why are you cutting our use sometimes used as you say that that goes back decades or even a century why are you cutting that over

More recent users um the um the process by which the decision to issue a fish protection order is made is is a lengthy one and indeed at uh we’re now most of the water basins are at as we’ve heard and we we said at level four and five but

Typically uh in the process that let when drought levels reach level three um staff engages with the community with water users to begin to bring awareness of that drought level and the prospect of that drought level increasing and encourages voluntary use and voluntary reductions of water use so there’s a fairly um

Um I guess a ladder of uh engagement that takes place and so um uh that that that’s begins the process there are also as you heard a community level water committees that involve uh municipalities the federal government First Nations uh and Industrial and Commercial users and I would include to certainly farmers in

That so there is a process of engaging uh people in that process uh and uh then uh the there is a science which monitors Stream flow levels and their impact upon fish and it’s only as a as a last resort to maintain a Stream flow level or river

Flow level that will enable the fish population to survive is there a consideration given to the remedy of a fish protection order so the interests of Agriculture are obviously expressly considered and that’s how the decision goes forward so it’s uh it’s a fairly um generally we’ve been able to achieve

These results without the need to move to orders but the level of drought this year and and some water bases has been completely unprecedented and that decision has been necessary that’s all the questions we have today that concludes the availability thank you everyone for joining thank you

The B.C. government is extending its state of emergency by another two weeks, with more than 420 wildfires still burning and little relief in sight for extreme drought conditions.

Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Bowinn Ma said the province is preparing for the possibility this drought season could last beyond the calendar year and stretch into 2024.

“It’s a very serious situation that British Columbia has not faced before and it is absolutely necessary that people change their mindset about water here in British Columbia as a result of the impacts that we’re seeing due to climate change.”

Recent rainfall in parts of B.C. is a sign the province is “slowly moving beyond the worse part of this wildfire season,” but that doesn’t mean British Columbians can let their guards down, Ma said.

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