The Notley government’s decision to withhold for months a report on the failures of the Fort McMurray wildfire response is a disgrace, says Wildrose Leader Brian Jean.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable and it’s disgraceful that they would hide this report from Albertans when so many are waiting for it,” Jean said Friday.
“This is the worst natural disaster in our provincial history. It demands more respect from the government.”
Jean described the review, conducted on behalf of the Agriculture and Forestry ministry, as “damning” because it illustrates the chaos and confusion around the emergency response during the first hours and days of the battle to save the northern Alberta city in May of 2016.
The report shows neither the province or the city were fully prepared for the disaster, which would eventually destroy hundreds of homes and force residents to flee for their lives.
The review was completed in March but only released to the public on Thursday, hours after a source leaked the document to CBC News.
‘Shockingly arrogant’
Jean said the province has deliberately attempted to “whitewash” its failures and mislead the public on the status of the report.
“It’s shocking that the government would respond this way to the people they’re supposed to serve,” said Jean, the MLA for Fort McMurray-Conklin who lost his home in the devastating blaze.
“We now know the report had been gathering dust since March, with the government keeping it behind closed doors.”
In a hastily staged news conference Thursday evening, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier denied that the government delayed the release of the findings in an effort to avoid opposition criticism while the legislature was in session. The sitting ended this week.
Instead, Carlier suggested the release was delayed due to “sensitivities” around the one-year anniversary of the city’s evacuation.
Jean said the people of Fort McMurray deserve answers.
“The people in Fort McMurray have been demanding answers about what happened for 13 months and they want to know,” Jean said.
“The government’s attempt to say that it was the in the best interests of residents to hide this report and brush over its damning findings is shockingly arrogant and totally unacceptable.”
‘They need answers’
The report, prepared by consultants from MNP LLP and wildfire experts from B.C. and Ontario, cites a lack of resources and communication breakdowns as some of the key issues which plagued the emergency response.
“People were emergency evacuated from Fort McMurray under conditions that you wouldn’t believe and, frankly, the government didn’t have a hand in that evacuation,” said Jean in an interview with CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM. “People do not feel safe in Fort McMurray.”
The report notes that in the early days of the fire in May 2016, the two crews battling the blazes were operating through different command centres.
One crew chief realized that battering winds would likely bring the flames into the community within a matter of hours, but failed to warn municipal crews who were working on the perimeter of Fort McMurray, the report says.
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean hammered the government Thursday after a pair of independent reports described the failures around the Fort McMurray wildfire response. (CBC)
City fire crews learned the fire had breached city limits through reports on social media.
The report made 10 recommendations, including a call for a joint wildfire planning team made up of senior forestry staff and representatives of the oilsands, energy, forestry and utility industries.
It also recommended the creation of a single incident command centre and urged the province to get better prepared earlier in the wildfire season.
A second report, by consultant KPMG, examined the overall emergency response effort. It was completed in May and also released Thursday.
KPMG made 21 recommendations, including clarifying and documenting how to delegate authority in emergency situations. The government says it has accepted the recommendations from both reports and is acting on them.
KPMG said residents in Fort McMurray struggled with mixed messages when they were forced to flee May 3. A news conference at 11 a.m. that day told them an evacuation was “a long way off,” but just hours later they were forced out of their homes on little notice.
The government’s secretive handling of the investigation is further proof the disaster needs to be investigated by a judge-led, public inquiry, said Jean. If not, survivors of the disaster will continue to question what went wrong, he argued.
“People would be able to hear testimony and evidence and make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” said Jean.
“People are very fearful. They’re very afraid and they need to have confidence in their government … They need answers because they feel the government failed them.”