Ontario Investing To Strengthen Wildland Firefighting

The Ontario government is investing more than $20 million to upgrade the Vedette (Fort Frances) and Socket Lake (Sioux Lookout) Forward Attack Bases, two critical wildland fire management facilities that are strategically located to deploy fire crews, equipment and aircraft in Northwestern Ontario. Construction is underway to rebuild and modernize both forward attack bases, with work expected to be complete ahead of the 2027 fire season.

Once complete, they will be equipped with new staff accommodations, improved operational facilities, upgraded electrical and plumbing and new technologies, which will allow for quicker deployment of critical resources to protect communities during fire season. Ontario is also preparing to upgrade additional wildland fire management facilities across the province, including bases in Ranger Lake and Ogoki.

At the press conference, the Minister confirmed there will be a complete debrief of this year’s fire season once it has ended. They will be assessing their response and looking for ways to improve for the future.