Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for ECC minister related to my Member's statement regarding fire breaks. Can the Minister advise if the department has standards and layouts to develop fire breaks to communities in the Northwest Territories? Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Environment and Climate Change works closely with communities to provide advice and recommendations on ways to help mitigate risk for wildfire. Furel breaks are one of the multiple tools that are used in wildfire prevention, mitigation, and response. Characteristics of the fuel breaks are typically based on specific fuel types in a specific area and take into consideration the type of trees, including tree species, height, and density. It is important to note that the fuel breaks are not intended to stop the spread of wildfire. They are to help they are there to help slow the fire and also provide fire personnel a control line to safely initiate from there, where possible, to remove fuel between the community and the main fire. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that answer. Has the department completed an assessment of what each community has for fire breaks and if they are currently compatible with any standards for such? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department regularly provides advice on ways to help protect communities from the risk of wildfires. The department has worked with all 29 forested communities in the NWT to update their community wildfire protection plan, which are designed to help reduce risks for wildfire. One of those tools available to the community is the use of fire break or fuel breaks and are included in the community wildlife protection plans. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi to the Minister for that. I believe that many of the fire breaks that he speaks of are a bit not wide enough to prevent fires from entering the communities.
Mr. Speaker, failing to have any set standards to determine proper and safe fire breaks for communities in the Northwest Territories, will the department work to develop acceptable standards of fire breaks to protect communities? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I noted earlier, the construction of fuel breaks needs to consider a number of factors, specifically to each area and community, including the type of fuel in the area. The Department of Environment and Climate Change has worked closely with each forested community to develop their community plans, which include consideration of these factors. We are committed to continuing to work with communities to provide technical advice and expertise in planning for fuel breaks as well as other fire mitigation measures.
Mr. Speaker, just so people here in the House and people out there are aware, the fires can and have jumped the Mackenzie River from one side to the other. So when we're looking at the size of the fire breaks, again it's not to stop fires. It's to help us be able to break it and to initiate the fight the flames moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Regarding the fire breaks, you know, the wider the fire break and when you get rid of the topsoil, as most communities are starting to chip, using a chipper to chip away and do FireSmarting so that fire that chipping there, that's wood chips, and that's fuel, that adds fuel to the fire. So I don't know if that's a real good idea if the department is advising communities to do that. So even their fireguards, you know, they need to be a set standard because they will protect communities. If we're not doing anything, well we're leaving it up in the air for next fire season. We're going to have communities that will be totally lost because of all the forest that we have in the areas. And we need to be proactive and start looking at trying to mitigate these situations. And, you know, because right now what they're doing is just reactive, getting all the Caterpillars, it's all in the South Slave. Now they're making fire breaks after the fact. You know, that's that doesn't seem to make you know, to rhyme or reason. Funding is always an issue when communities are left to fend for themselves, especially in developing fire breaks that will meet an acceptable standard of protection.
Can the Minister work with all communities to develop a work plan as to the fire break needs of each community and funding requirements and present these findings to the federal government for further funding? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ECC has internal funding available each year to help communities implement their community wildfire protection plan, which can include building of fuel breaks. I can advise this House that we work with NWTAC who successfully applied for $20 million of disaster mitigation and adaptation funding from the federal government. That money will be as I said yesterday, will be brought forth to NWTAC and they're going to give it allocate it to the communities, those 29 communities.
Mr. Speaker, NWTAC realizes that work needs to be done now. So they've reach out and worked with the communities to be able to start that work now and then all those costs can be reimbursed April 1st. So if they know exactly what money they are eligible for so we've already done the work. We've already gone to the federal government, and we've done it through the NWTAC. So it doesn't need to be us. We've worked with NWTAC for the communities to get this done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
