An independent review and report on the Alberta government response to the 2016 wildfire in the Fort McMurray region, released June 8, contains 31 recommendations upon which the government says it will act.
KPMG’s post-incident assessment report identified successes and failures in handling the fire, which burned 1.5 million acres and had an estimated economic impact of $8.9 billion.
It is the costliest insured natural disaster in Canadian history, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Two people died while fleeing the fire and about 88,000 people were evacuated from the city and other locales within the fire’s path.
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The report said evacuation of the urban area of Fort McMurray was done within a day and in a timely manner. Other listed successes included firefighters’ protection of critical infrastructure, telephone town halls to communicate and the support and services provided by other parts of the province.
It also noted breakdowns in communication and lack of sufficient preparation for the fire season.
“The wildfire was a devastating event that greatly affected the lives of the residents of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo,” Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier said in a government news release responding to the report.
“As a government, it is our duty to take a close look at what happened and identify any enhancements that can be made to further support the extraordinary efforts of our wild land firefighters and emergency response staff and help ensure the safety and well-being of Albertans.”
Alberta’s Wildrose Party called for a public inquiry because the government delayed release of the report, which it is said to have received in March.
“This is the worst natural disaster in our province’s history and it is absolutely outrageous that the government hid this report for months to avoid accountability,” said Wildrose leader Brian Jean.
“The thousands of people who lost their homes have been demanding answers, and the government has intentionally hid this report from them. The information in this report shows that we were not prepared and more should have been done. It’s now more clear than ever that we need an independent judge-led inquiry for full transparency and accountability.”
Alberta’s Liberal party said the timing of the release of post-disaster reports should be legislated to avoid undue delay. That would require a change to the Municipal Government Act.
“Leaving the release of disaster event reports up to those (who) may be most embarrassed by its contents undermines the process and politicizes a matter of critical public importance,” said Liberal leader David Swann.
The government said it will cost $10 million over three years to implement all the recommendations in the report.
The report can be found at www.alberta.ca/assets/documents/Wildfire-KPMG-Report.pdf.
