More than 900 wildfires are currently burning across Canada, driving evacuation orders and marking the worst wildfire season on record for Ontario, officials report. The ongoing blaze has intensified calls for the establishment of a national wildfire strategy, including the creation of a dedicated federal agency to coordinate firefighting and prevention efforts across the country.

Canada remains the only member of the Group of Seven (G7) nations without a centralized federal body responsible for wildfire management. The widespread nature of this year’s fires, particularly in Ontario, has highlighted gaps in the provincial and federal response mechanisms.

In July, smoke from the wildfires drifted southward into the United States, raising concerns about cross-border environmental and health impacts. This transnational effect prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to urge the Canadian government to develop a unified, countrywide approach to wildfire preparedness and response.

Currently, wildfire management in Canada is largely handled at the provincial level, with varying degrees of coordination and resources. Advocates for a national strategy argue that the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires—attributed in part to climate change—require streamlined federal oversight to improve prevention, mitigation, and emergency response efforts.

While exact plans for a federal agency have yet to be detailed, the growing consensus among officials, experts, and affected communities underscores the need for coherent strategies to address what is becoming a repeated and intensifying natural hazard across Canada. As Ontario contends with its most severe wildfire season ever, the call for systematic change grows louder.