A wildfire in the Flin Flon, Man., area on May 27. Wildfires caused $8.5-billion in insured losses in 2024.Government handout via The Canadian Press

Dr. Ajay Virmani CM is the chairman and founder of Cargojet.

Canada is burning. Again.

With 3.6 million square kilometres of forest, we hold one of the world’s largest carbon sinks and ecosystems. But year after year, we watch wildfires rage across this vast landscape – bigger, faster and more destructive – and we do little more than react.

Despite the scale of the threat, Canada has no federal wildfire agency, no fleet of large-scale water bombers and no co-ordinated national strategy. Instead, the federal government defers to the provinces – many of which are already overstretched.

The result is predictable: chaos, smoke and a rising toll on our health, economy and reputation.

National strategy to fight wildfires needed, fire chiefs say

Wildfire smoke map: Which parts of Canada are under air quality warnings?

Wildfires don’t respect........

© The Globe and Mail