BC's election frontrunners largely silent on flood and fire prevention despite devastating five years

British Columbia's major political parties have made surprisingly few campaign commitments on preventing the floods and wildfires that have devastated the province in recent years, despite mounting evidence of their severity and cost.

In the last five years, B.C. has endured multiple wildfire seasons that displaced thousands, a heat dome that killed more than 600 people, and flooding and landslides that closed major highways for days and damaged thousands of homes. Yet neither the NDP nor Conservatives have made substantial campaign commitments on natural disasters or climate change, and the parties' leadership debate last week included no discussion of plans to improve B.C.'s response to environmental emergencies.

The Conservatives have promised $400 million for new water bombers, $100 million for a wildfire innovation fund, and commitment to "move money upstream" for fire prevention through forest management, prescribed burning, and FireSmart funding. They also promise to allow lumber companies to log high-risk fire areas and to establish a "wildfire response cabinet" to prepare for fires next summer.

The BC Greens, by contrast, have focused their platform on protecting homes and enabling locals to play a role in emergency management. "We cannot build our emergency system around the assumption that government will always have enough people and equipment to protect every property," the Greens stated.

Experts argue the parties are missing a crucial shift. Jocelyn Stacey, a University of British Columbia professor and expert on the role of law in emergency management, told The Tyee: "We need to shift our perspective on what disasters really are." Steve Litke, water programs director for the Fraser Basin Council, said: "Whether it's flood, wildfire, drought, other natural hazards and disasters, these events are going to continue to occur. Prevention really should be prioritized."

Canadian provinces have focused for decades on response and recovery — the third and fourth pillars of emergency management — while largely neglecting prevention and preparedness. Experts suggest that the 20th-century strategy of immediate fire suppression may have contributed to today's megafires, which frequently burn through dense forests where flames were rigorously suppressed for a century. Water bombers can aid in fighting some fires, but their usefulness depends on local weather and geography.