Canada and the United States have formalized a shared wildfire response pact aimed at enhancing cooperation and resource sharing between the two countries.
The agreement replaces the previous ad hoc approach to battling forest fires and outlines a more efficient plan to exchange resources and expertise across the border.
Previous agreements for resource sharing were outdated and inefficient, according to US Ambassador David Cohen and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who both signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Thursday regarding the matter.
The newly signed MOU establishes a framework for requesting and sending resources, as well as guidelines on how the two countries will cooperate on technology, training, and research, considering the risks posed by climate change.
Commenting on the agreement, Wilkinson said this formalized approach will allow better collaboration with provincial and territorial partners, enabling more effective allocation of firefighting resources.
Cohen also stressed the importance of organizing and streamlining the response effort, as it shows that “there is a will here to help.”
“That has never been the issue,” he said via the Canadian Press. “But sometimes getting it organized in a time of crisis takes more time than we would like. And so, this provides a structure and a commitment by both governments, and multiple agencies within both governments, that we will work together. We will respond.”
Canada has been grappling with an unprecedented wildfire season, with over 63,000 square kilometres of land burned so far.
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, 2,769 fires have burned across the country this year, with 422 remaining active as of Thursday.
To combat these wildfires, Canada has received assistance from several thousand international firefighters from at least nine countries, including over 1,500 American firefighters.
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