How To Help Canadian Communities Affected By Wildfires

Canada’s wildfire season is off to a grim start, with more than 200 active wildfires burning across the country, and half of them out of control. In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes as a result of the fires. While the situation is alarming, there are ways to help. 

Where to donate* 

The Canadian Red Cross

The federal and Manitoba governments are matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross for their Manitoba wildfire funds—meaning every dollar you donate will result in $3 going to the fund. The federal government is also matching donations to the Saskatchewan wildfire fund, resulting in $2 for every dollar you donate. To help the wildfire situation across the country, including evacuees in Ontario and other regions impacted by the wildfires, donate to the Red Cross's general Canadian wildfire fund.

Food Matters Manitoba

The Manitoba food charity underlines that “several Indigenous communities have been evacuated with families forced to leave their homes and communities with very short notice. Food Matters Manitoba is committed to helping families and individuals facing the wildfire crisis.” All money raised will go to supporting children, elders, families, and their communities affected by the crisis—for example, helping to source and prepare traditional foods for evacuees.  

Manitoba Animal Alliance

Some evacuees have had to be separated from their pets during the evacuation—and volunteers from the Manitoba Animal Alliance are working to support them and their animals, with volunteers helping to care for the pets of displaced people and gather supplies, such as food and equipment, to care for them. 

Parachutes for Pets

The Alberta-based organization is working to help pets and their families affected by the wildfires with their Northern Alberta Wildfire Support Fund. 

Global Medic and GlobalFire

GlobalMedic, in partnership with sister agency GlobalFire, is acquiring and distributing portable firefighting units nation-wide—skids that can turn a pick-up truck into a small firefighting truck. The agency says it’s making them “available to smaller municipalities, fire departments, and Indigenous communities that need to bolster their current capacity.”

Legacy Place Society

Legacy Place Society supports first responders, military personnel and their families across Canada with accommodations, mental health and peer support and helps with community rebuilding as well as assistance with volunteer fire departments.

Other places to give

*Canada Helps has a longer list of charities it works with that are assisting in the wildfire relief efforts.

How to smokeproof your home

The smoke has affected air quality in large regions of Canada and down into the U.S. It’s worth keeping an eye on the air quality health index in the area where you live. We’ve got resources on how to protect yourself against wildfire smoke. 

Other ways to get involved

We know that climate change is fuelling the conditions that make fires more likely to occur. One analysis by Climate Central found that the early season heat made the high temperatures in central Canada in late May “at least five times more likely than they would be in a world without climate change.”

“These conditions, which set the stage for dangerous wildfires, will only become more frequent and more severe if we continue burning fossil fuels,” said Dr. Kristina Dahl, vice president of science at Climate Central, in a release accompanying the study. 

Another, by ClimaMeter, found that weather conditions in B.C., Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan at the end of May were 3 degrees hotter and up to 10% windier than in the past. “The wildfires ravaging Canada make the world look like a scene from a science fiction movie—except this scenario was anticipated by climatologists more than 30 years ago. These fires are not just a natural disaster; they are fueled by our continued reliance on fossil fuels. Cutting emissions is not a choice—it's the only viable solution to stop turning predictions into reality,” researcher Davide Faranda said.

And yes, the climate crisis feels big—but getting involved in any way can help turn hopelessness into hope. We have lots of ideas for getting involved in the climate change fight, but talking about climate change and writing your elected officials are a great way to start.