Communities affected by wildfire will get support from Alberta

The province of Alberta will be making $175 million available to municipalities and Metis settlements affected by the wildfires.

More than 1.4 million hectares of land burned in wildfires in Alberta between May and June, forcing 38,000 Albertans out of their homes.

Money from the province’s Disaster Recovery Program will be used to help communities recoup the costs of wildfire response and recovery.

Expenses can included volunteer firefighter wages, overtime costs, food and transportation, structural protection costs, and infrastructure damaged by the wildfire response.

The Disaster Recovery Program was previously used after the 2020 flooding in northern Alberta, the 2016 fire in Fort McMurray, the 2013 southern Alberta floods, and the 2011 Slave Lake wildfires.