Bruce Ralston

B.C. Forests Minister Bruce Ralston blamed local governments for slow progress on reducing wildfire risk in-and-around their communities. But experts have said there isn’t enough funding to make substantive progress. …Asked during a wildfire briefing about the slow pace of clearing wildfire fuel in communities where homes touch wilderness areas, Ralston pointed to “well-developed” provincial funding programs to which municipalities and First Nations can apply to carry out the work. They can be the difference between successfully extinguishing a fire and seeing a fire … do profound damage to a community, said Ralston. …Experts put the blame on the province for a lack of progress on fire prevention, saying funding available to communities in no way matches the need. A Postmedia investigation also showed local governments faced obstacles to access funding and an overwhelming bureaucratic process.