First Nation a full partner in wildfire response

VANCOUVER — The Tsilhqot’in Nation has signed a first-of-itskind agreement with the federal and British Columbia governments that recognizes the First Nation as a full partner in wildfire response. Through the agreement, the three governments will work together to identify best practices, define roles and build the First Nation community’s capacity to manage emergencies. Tl’etinqox Chief Joe Alphonse said he’d like to see a culturallyappropriate First Nations evacuation centre established, as well as a training facility. Alphonse’s community, which he said has 400 trained firefighters and understands fire response better than anyone, defied an evacuation order in 2017. Though wildfires encircled three quarters of his community, Alphonse said the flames posed less of a threat than the federal and provincial governments, which failed to acknowledge the First Nation’s jurisdiction and expertise.