“[Ford] is lying to the people”: NDP leader backs call for public inquiry into wildfire response

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles was in Thunder Bay on Tuesday, visiting evacuation centres and meeting with First Nations leaders as northwestern Ontario grapples with a wildfire crisis.

Speaking with Acadia News on Tuesday evening, Stiles sharply criticized the Ford government when asked about calls from First Nations chiefs for a public inquiry into the province’s wildfire response.

“The provincial government, and all levels of government, have been missing in action here,” Stiles said. “It was really shocking to me to find out that the Premier was here just a couple of days ago and he didn’t even meet with evacuees, that he didn’t even let First Nations chiefs know that he was coming.”

Stiles argued that Ford has avoided engaging with Indigenous leadership during his visit to Thunder Bay over the weekend, because he knows he would face criticism over the province’s response to the wildfire emergency.

Namaygoosisagagun self-evacuation

Stiles pointed to the evacuation of Collins First Nation, also known as Namaygoosisagagun, which community leaders reportedly carried out on their own after being unable to reach the Ministry of Natural Resources as the wildfire approached.

“I tried calling multiple contacts: no answer, no one got back to me,” Chief Helen Paavola of Namaygoosisagagun told the Acadia news team on Thursday.

“We were getting everyone to the beach where we had our boats,” said Namaygoosisagagun community member Scott Frank. “At that time, the flames were already entering the community. You could see the fire and how fast it was moving towards us. It was a matter of minutes before that fire, like, completely took out our community.”

When asked about the province’s response to the wildfire threatening Collins First Nation on Saturday, Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris said the fire started about 15 kilometres from the community and spread rapidly.

Harris said crews had deployed resources to assess the situation, but heavy smoke made it difficult to determine the fire’s severity.

“The community made the determination that they were going to self-evacuate, and of course, if you have a fire coming down on you we highly recommend that you do that. They are getting support now from the federal government,” Harris said.

However, Stiles pushed back on that explanation, reiterating claims that the wildfire had been burning for weeks before Collins First Nation carried out its own evacuation.

“I heard from the Chief of Namaygoosisagagun about that, and she was adamant that there were indications of fire going back many weeks. I’ve also spoken to CN railway workers who told me that everybody was trying to figure out what was going on and they were told repeatedly not to bother evacuating,” she said.

Pressed on the allegations during Saturday’s news conference, Harris said he had no knowledge of the matter.

“As far as I know, that fire started the day of [the self-evacuation],” Harris said. “That’s not something that we heard, but I can certainly look into it.”

Stiles said she was “appalled” both by what she described as a lack of communication from the Ford government during the evacuation, and by Ford’s decision not to meet with evacuees or First Nations leaders during his visit to Thunder Bay.

Firefighting budget

On Saturday, Premier Doug Ford rejected claims that his government had cut wildfire-fighting resources, calling such criticism misinformation and accusing opponents of politicizing an emergency.

“I will spare not a penny. It’s never been cut, it’s always been maintained. I’m going to make it real slow for the opposition, even though they know. There’s base funding, and then anything over the top of that, there is no limit to spending. Last year we spent over $270 million. If it’s over $500 million this year, so be it. I’ve made clear direction to our ministers: I don’t care what this costs,” Ford said.

Ford went on to criticize those raising concerns about funding levels.

“It’s absolutely disgusting that they want to politicize and play games when people’s lives are on the line,” he concluded.

Stiles disputed the premier’s characterization, arguing that funding for wildfire preparedness had, in fact, been reduced.

She pointed to the province’s 2025 budget, which reduced the emergency forest firefighting budget from $177 million to $135 million and cut $4 million from emergency preparedness funding, despite the province ultimately spending well beyond those amounts on wildfire response.

“He’s lying to the people of Ontario. The budget was cut,” Stiles said. “The irony is that in the end, they ended up spending $271 million fighting the fires, double what they had budgeted. And then this year they went back and budgeted less again. It’s like they’re learning nothing.”

She argued that while the province may spend additional money responding to active fires, reductions to base funding can still affect preparedness and capacity before wildfire season begins.

Call for action

Stiles said the wildfire crisis has highlighted the need for a long-term strategy developed in partnership with front-line firefighters and First Nations communities.

“This made really clear that we need a long-term plan, and it must involve the front-line firefighters and the First Nations who are the ones largely impacted by these fires,” she said. “Every year, our firefighters are playing catch-up. Every year, communities are left wondering if they should evacuate or not. And this year was particularly devastating.”

Stiles also voiced support for the Chiefs of Ontario’s call for a public inquiry into the province’s wildfire response, arguing that lessons from recent emergencies have not been acted upon.

“Something went deeply wrong here. Some fires are inevitable, but these are choices that the government is making. They are choosing not to learn and not to prepare every year,” she said. “I think the premier needs to accept that he made some bad choices, and he has an opportunity to do better. This isn’t about playing politics. It’s about saving lives.”

As wildfire activity continues across northwestern Ontario, Stiles said any review of the province’s response must focus on improving preparedness, strengthening communication with affected communities and ensuring residents are better protected during future emergencies.