As Canada suffered one of the most destructive fire seasons in its history, Eleanor Olszewski, the federal emergency management minister, floated the idea of creating a federal agency to co-ordinate the country’s response to natural disasters, including wildfire. …Kim Connors, who retired this year as executive director of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, spent more than four decades fighting wildfires, including as director of provincial wildfire programs in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. He spoke to The Globe and Mail about why he opposes Ms. Olszewski’s proposal, and why Canadians should start preparing now for next year’s fire season. …We really need to focus on the mitigation side and building true whole-of-society programs that are strong in practice, not just in rhetoric. …Ottawa needs to establish long-term funding to support FireSmart Canada in reaching all provinces and territories and within the national parks. [A subscription to the Globe and Mail is required for full story access]