Whereas British Columbia is experiencing increasingly severe wildfires that pose significant risks to public safety, public health, critical infrastructure, and local government finances; And whereas extensive areas of fire-killed and weakened forest represent a known and ongoing wildfire hazard that, when left untreated, increases wildfire intensity, smoke impacts, suppression costs, and risks to nearby communities and infrastructure; And whereas proactive removal of hazardous standing fuel prior to ignition is a cost-effective wildfire risk-reduction measure that improves firefighter safety and reduces long-term public liabilities: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia to establish stable, multi-year funding programs for Indigenous-led fire-killed fibre recovery and land rehabilitation as a core wildfire risk-reduction and public safety measure.
