Ontario doubles wildland firefighting budget, upgrades two Northwestern bases

Ontario is investing more than $20 million to upgrade the Vedette and Socket Lake Forward Attack Bases, two critical wildland fire management facilities in Northwestern Ontario that are strategically positioned to deploy fire crews, equipment and aircraft across the region.

Construction is currently underway at both bases, with work expected to be complete ahead of the 2027 fire season. Once finished, the facilities will feature new staff accommodations, improved operational facilities, upgraded electrical and plumbing systems, and new technologies designed to allow for quicker deployment of critical resources.

The upgrades are part of a broader provincial expansion. Ontario doubled its year-start emergency firefighting budget from $70 million to $150 million, and has made a historic $650 million investment to expand its aerial firefighting fleet with six new waterbombers and five new helicopters. Since 2024, the province has added more than 170 permanent fire management positions and increased compensation for critical staff including firefighters and pilots.

Throughout the 2026 fire season, Ontario has seen 786 wildland fires burn over 744,222 hectares. The province also plans to upgrade additional wildland fire management facilities at Ranger Lake and Ogoki, though specific details and costs for those upgrades were not disclosed.