Geoff Russ: Yes, the B.C. wildfires should be politicized

The Bald Range Fire on Aug. 10, 2026. Photo by B.C. Wildfire Service /Government of B.C.

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One of the laziest tropes about governance is that tragedies should not be politicized. Generally speaking, the ones who relay that silly maxim are the ones who must reckon with the tragedy and don’t want the headache or their rightful share of the blame.

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There is no question that lightning strikes are not partisan occurrences. They can strike at any time and produce unpredictable effects, such as sparking a wildfire in the hinterland of British Columbia.

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However, the choice not to expand airborne firefighting capacity, the treatment of wildfire fuels, and post-fire reconstruction are all political choices. If the Okanagan is going to burn, taking beloved homes and lives with it, there is responsibility that must be assigned. In fact, accountability in these situations is the decent thing.

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The 2026 wildfire season in B.C. has been horrific, to put it mildly. By Tuesday, there were 904 fires burning, and nearly 400,000 hectares had burned, which is roughly the same size as the American state of Rhode Island. The especially dreadful Bald Range fire near Summerland has burned 17,800 hectares and forced roughly 20,000 people to flee their homes. An 80-year-old woman who failed to escape has been identified as the first casualty.

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A state of emergency is in effect in B.C., having been declared on Aug. 8. That was four days after Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said that such extraordinary tools were not yet justified. Conditions and political calculations have apparently flipped with equally terrifying and infuriating speed. It was precisely this volatility and danger that the B.C. NDP government claimed it was preparing for months ago.

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Back in March, the province assured British Columbians that it was “ready” for the wildfire season, boasting more than 600 full-time positions, 1,300 firefighters, 28 airtankers, and more. This is not an insignificant arsenal, and absolutely nobody should be placing a single shred of blame on the firefighters themselves, whether they are local or flown in from Mexico as reinforcements. We are all deeply grateful to all of them.

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Now, as for the government, if only its preparations could have been made adequate through the bravado of a press release. The only way to assess the province’s capacity for combating wildfires is by examining the results.

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Considering the mass evacuations, international assistance, and federal aid that had to be requested once the fires were underway, it is clear that the NDP fell short of its own expectations.

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Not every hill, patch of grassland, and knoll can be manned by a crew. Nor can the government shield the surface of the Earth from electrical storms or identify every lunatic firebug who drops a lit match. Still, the NDP has been in office for nine years and has yet to produce a transformative wildfire response strategy, despite escalating disasters throughout its tenure.