Ford defends Ontario’s wildfire response as smoke blankets central Canada, Eastern U.S.

As fire evacuees streamed into Ontario cities on Friday, Premier Doug Ford defended his government’s handling of wildfires that have consumed one community and sent smoke drifting as far south as the White House.

Mr. Ford said the province was “throwing every single resource we can” at the infernos and disputed suggestions his government had cut spending on forest-fire fighting or scrimped on helping thousands of evacuees, the majority of whom are from First Nations communities.

“We’re supplying anything that they need, and they’ll be safe,” he said at a Friday morning news conference to address the wildfire conditions. “That’s our number one priority: is to make sure the elderly, young people and the whole community is taken care of.”

Nearly 200 fires are scorching the province’s northern region, with 72 listed as uncontrolled by the Ministry of Natural Resources. Some 150 crews and 80 aircraft are working to contain the flames while evacuees from 10 communities have been relocated among at least nine Ontario municipalities, Mr. Ford said.

The assorted local emergencies escalated into an international incident on Friday, with U.S. President Donald Trump vowing to increase tariffs on Canada for the “filthy, polluted and unhealthy air” spreading into the U.S.

As the evacuees settle in for indeterminate stays, questions remain about the lack of provincial support some received in escaping the flames.

Namaygoosisagagun First Nation Chief Helen Paavola said she called the Ministry of Natural Resources for evacuation assistance before the flames destroyed her town on Monday, but no help arrived.

Instead, residents scrambled to a lake and fled across the water in small boats as they watched the blaze engulf their community. There were no fatalities, but the loss has left residents wondering about the settlement’s future and why they had to escape on their own.

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“That particular fire started very, very close to the community, which is unusual,” said Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris, who joined Mr. Ford at the press conference. “We didn’t really have a whole lot of lead time to be able to get crews there from the other fires they were already fighting.”

He said the fire was moving at four kilometres an hour and plumes of smoke made it difficult for aircraft to reach the area.

The displaced Namaygoosisagagun residents ended up in Thunder Bay, where accommodation capacity is under strain.

“There’s people in hotels, there’s people at campgrounds, private citizens are opening up their land for people to camp on or their homes for people to sleep in,” said Stephanie Paxton, executive director of the Mikinakoos Children’s Fund, a charity assisting evacuees.

“We’ve never seen this so close to home before, and we’ve never hosted so many people in our city before that have needed to evacuate.”

Ms. Paxton said she has been working with donors and evacuated communities to deliver essential items, such as clothes, diapers, hygiene supplies and dog food.

With limited capacity, Thunder Bay often only serves as a temporary hub during wildfire season for evacuees who are waiting to be transported to other locations such as Sudbury, Barrie and Toronto, said Paul Syrette, operations director for ISN Maskwa, an Indigenous emergency operations company in Sault Ste. Marie owned by the Missanabie Cree First Nation.

Toronto and other cities can accommodate the new arrivals without much strain, but the distance from evacuees’ homes combined with urban living don’t always make for the best landing pad.

“They’re a little reluctant to go to Toronto, but right now they have to,” said Mr. Syrette.

ISN Maskwa is assisting about 600 evacuees from Cat Lake First Nation, situated roughly 400 kilometres north of Thunder Bay and where critical infrastructure was cut by the wildfires.

A 400-bed emergency shelter operated by Missanabie Cree Emergency Management Services is set to open this fall in northern Ontario to mitigate the issue, Mr. Syrette said.

Mr. Ford’s government has faced criticism throughout the week for budgeting $150-million for emergency firefighting in 2026-27 after spending $271-million last year. Mr. Ford explained that the $150-million figure is base funding that the province routinely exceeds. “That base funding ensures that firefighters, aircraft and equipment are in place before fire season begins,” he said. “But that isn’t where the funding ends. Firefighting is based on need, so while the base budget is $150-million, every year we spend significantly more than that.”

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As for criticism from south of the border, Mr. Ford said Ontario has assisted with natural disasters in the U.S. and that lawmakers there should focus on returning the favour.

“If some politicians are out there chirping away, well maybe what they should do rather than complain is send support, send help, because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends, and that’s what you’re supposed to do.”