Michael Boyle

The federal and provincial governments are providing 50 New Brunswick communities with a combined $2.6 million for wildfire planning. According to the Department of Natural Resources, there have been 448 wildfires in 2025, burning over 3,412 hectares of New Brunswick’s forests. This is almost double the 281 wildfires that were recorded in 2024. “I think in New Brunswick and the Maritimes, we’ve sometimes not thought that wildfires were much of an issue,” said Kennebecasis Valley Fire Chief Mike Boyle. “It’s obvious that it’s something that we need to be aware of and a concern for us.” Boyle said his community is one of the 50 that have been selected to receive some of the funding. It will go towards allowing fire departments to hire consultants who will help create or update wildfire preparedness plans.