Prime minister in B.C. visiting with those involved in wildfire response

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in British Columbia Friday, meeting with local leaders, firefighters and volunteers who have been involved in the provincial wildfire response.

Trudeau’s day began with a meeting at the Westbank First Nation’s government office, which was attended by the nation’s chief, Robert Louie, West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom, Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas and Central Okanagan Regional District board chair Loyal Wooldridge.

The prime minister showed up wearing Levi’s jeans and a shirt with rolled-up sleeves, introducing his daughter Ella to leaders as he shook hands and briefly spoke with each of them.

“How’s the morale of residents?” Trudeau asked. “Are people sort of OK, here?” As Wooldridge described the path of the wildfire, Trudeau asked, “But things are mostly tracking in the right direction?”

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Trudeau emphasized the importance of rebuilding communities with fire safety in mind.

“We’ve seen the difference between neighbourhoods that were built with fire safety in mind and neighbourhoods that were built before that was really something we were thinking about,” he said, adding he’s had a number of conversations regarding better forest management.

He also acknowledged the fear of British Columbians living in the line of danger.

“There’s lots of reasons to be scared, as we see fires approach, as we see homes under threat, as we see communities impacted,” said Trudeau.

“I really would emphasize that residents and communities do anything they can to facilitate the work of firefighters as they’re trying to get in to protect these communities,” said Trudeau. 

Later in the day, he’s set to make a speech at the Vancouver Convention Centre as part of the seventh assembly of the Global Environment Facility.

“The Assembly will bring together ministers, government officials, business leaders, environmentalists, leaders of international agencies and environmental conventions along with representatives of youth groups, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples to discuss solutions to ensure a healthy planet with healthy people,” reads the event’s website.

Trudeau’s tour of B.C. comes one week after the provincial government declared a state of emergency due to the wildfire crisis.

Speaking from Charlottetown, P.E.I., on Wednesday, the prime minister said his government “will continue to be there” for those impacted, noting Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed and that Service Canada is helping people who have been displaced by the fires.

Trudeau also thanked firefighters for their hard work, and issued his appreciation for those who “stepped up” and opened their communities and homes to evacuees.

On Thursday, all evacuation orders in Kelowna were downgraded to alerts as officials with the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations announced two fires that had sparked in the Okanagan city were now considered held.

As of Friday morning, evacuation orders remain in effect for approximately 2,663 properties in West Kelowna, 1,114 properties in the Regional District of Central Okanagan and 50 properties in Westbank First Nation, according to an update issued by the COEO.

A total of 13,773 properties in the Okanagan area remain on evacuation alert.

Recent wildfires have damaged or destroyed close to 200 properties in the region, according to the latest official count.

With files from The Canadian Press.