Whereas British Columbias forests support communities, Indigenous Nations, and are a major sector, and there is increasing recognition that forest management practices, including harvesting, reforestation, fuel management, and landscape planning, are closely linked to wildfire risk, community resilience, ecological health, and the long-term sustainability of the provinces forest economy; And whereas British Columbia has experienced increasingly severe and costly wildfire seasons that have had significant impacts on communities, public health, infrastructure, local economies, ecosystems, and the safety and well-being of residents, including the direct and indirect effects of evacuations, smoke events, and disruptions to transportation and essential services and there is significant public interest in understanding the factors contributing to wildfire risk and ensuring that provincial forest and wildfire management policies are informed by independent, evidence-based analysis: Therefore be it resolved that the City of Prince George request that the Province of British Columbia establish an independent public inquiry under the Public Inquiry Act to examine the relationship between forest management practices and wildfire risk and severity, the effectiveness of current fuel management, prescribed burning, wildfire prevention and landscape resilience strategies, the integration of Indigenous knowledge and cultural fire stewardship, the adequacy of provincial policies, legislation and accountability mechanisms, the impacts of climate change on wildfire risk, the effectiveness of emergency preparedness, response and recovery programs, and opportunities to improve coordination among provincial agencies, Indigenous Nations, local governments, industry, emergency management organizations and other partners, with the goal of identifying evidence-based recommendations to strengthen the long-term resilience of British Columbias forests and communities.
