On Friday, the province announced $359 million in new funding for fighting wildfires in budget 2022.

On Friday, the province announced $359 million in new funding for fighting wildfires in budget 2022.

B.C.’s Minister of Forests Katrina Conroy said this is the largest investment in the history of the B.C. Wildfire Service and it includes $145 million that will help transform the organization into a year-round service.

The B.C. Wildfire Service will now transition its attack plan from a reactive model of fighting fires to a more proactive model of preventing fires.

Roughly $90 million in funding this year will go to the FireSmart program which provides tools and information to protect homes and communities from wildfires.

So far this year, the province has seen approximately 140 wildfires. That’s only 60 per cent of the five-year average.