By Canadian Press

Premier says more than 24,000 forced from homes by Alberta wildfires

May 6, 2023 | 4:01 PM

CALGARY — Alberta’s premier says an emergency management cabinet committee is set to meet this afternoon as the number of wildfire evacuees in the province has grown to more than 24,000.

Smith says there have been 45 new wildfires in Alberta since Friday morning, bringing the number of active fires to 103, with about 121,000 hectares burning as hot and dry conditions continue.

“With so much kindling, all it takes is a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires. These conditions have resulted in the unprecedented situation our province is facing today,” Smith told a news conference in Calgary on Saturday afternoon.

She said the cabinet committee may discuss implementing a provincewide state of emergency.

Some buildings have been destroyed, including 20 homes, a police station and a store in Fox Lake in northern Alberta.

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Smith said provincial money will be available to help those affected, and that Ottawa is ready to help, too. She said Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis has already spoken with federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair and that Ottawa is on standby to provide assistance if the province requests it.

Temperatures remained high, humidity stayed low and forecasts continued to call for gusting winds on Saturday.

A fire ban and off-highway vehicle restriction is in effect for the entire provincial forest protection area.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley told a news conference Saturday that she has formally extended an offer to Smith and the cabinet emergency committee to take part in meetings about the wildfire response.

Alberta is currently in the middle of an election campaign, with the vote scheduled for May 29.

“I’m willing to provide any insights from past experiences that might be helpful in this situation,” Notley said.

Notley was premier during the May 2016 wildfires that forced tens of thousands of people from Fort McMurray, Alta., and levelled many parts of the city.

“It’s very rare that you have a former premier running in a campaign. It’s even more rare that that former premier has experience with this kind of public emergency,” said Notley.

“There is an opportunity for us to depoliticize this and to work together on doing everything we can to focus on public safety, ensure the resources are corralled appropriately to the people who need it and make sure it’s not an election issue. And one way to do that is to bring people together.”

Smith said the government is ensuring the leader of the Opposition receives information as the situation continues to unfold.

She said she had spoken with Elections Alberta for advice on what to do in the event of fires or floods, and she told the news conference that if it’s still required by the end of the month, accommodations for voting could be made for areas specifically affected.

“As of now, people should be anticipating that election day will go ahead as planned on May 29,” Smith said.

Notley said it’s too soon to say whether the May 29 election should be delayed, or what the impact may be on the NDP’s campaign plans.

For now, Notley said the focus is on supporting candidates in constituencies that have been affected by the disaster and pitching in to help in whatever way she can.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2023.

The Canadian Press