Alberta
Community Fireguard Program Protecting Canmore and the Bow Valley from wildfires
Construction of the Bow Valley Community Fireguard near Canmore.
Mitigating the risks of catastrophic wildfires is a primary focus for Alberta’s government. With increased wildfire activity in recent years, it is crucial that communities at risk are prepared. The Community Fireguard Program is critical to these efforts. By removing trees surrounding vulnerable communities that can act as fuel in the event of fires, the program helps ensure that residents, homes, businesses and critical infrastructure are better protected from the devastating effects of wildfires.
Construction on the new Bow Valley Community Fireguard started in late fall 2024, after the project received $750,000 in provincial funding administered by the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta. Project partners include the Town of Canmore, Municipal District of Bighorn and the Kananaskis Improvement District, with support from Alberta’s government.
“Alberta faced significant wildfire seasons over the last two years. The reality is that decades of fire suppression left our forests aging and vulnerable. By working together with our at-risk communities, we are taking steps to increase wildfire resilience across Alberta.”
Ongoing work on the fireguard, which includes a combination of mechanical tree removal and forest thinning, will significantly reduce the potential for a wildfire for years to come. Additional work is required to complete the entire fireguard over the next three to five years and planning is underway for the next funding approval and stage of construction.
“Wildfire is the hazard that poses the greatest risk to Canmore. With hotter, longer and more intense fire seasons, work on building the Bow Valley Community Fireguard is critical to ensuring that we have the means and the plans to combat this significant threat to people, property and critical infrastructure.”
“The Bow Valley Community Fireguard is a massive undertaking made possible through the province’s commitment to strengthening the wildfire resiliency of our communities. We are thankful for their continued support and leadership in advancing wildfire prevention initiatives across Alberta. We are also grateful for the countless hours of effort behind the scenes from the teams of the MD of Bighorn, the Town of Canmore, and the Kananaskis Improvement District that have brought this project to life to ensure the Bow Valley has a safer future for generations to come.”
Alberta’s government is taking significant steps to enhance wildfire preparedness across the province in preparation for the 2025 wildfire season, with several other fireguard initiatives currently underway. In Whitecourt, fireguard construction is ongoing, while in Hinton, fireguard planning is in progress. Swan Hills is focused on debris clean-up from 2023 fireguard construction to ensure continued wildfire protection for the area.
Additionally, work is underway to hire more wildland firefighters, who will receive specialized training at the Hinton Training Centre, which also provides free online training to municipalities and local fire departments. To support local communities, the province maintains mutual aid and resource-sharing agreements to ensure access to specialized firefighting equipment when needed.
The FireSmart program continues to help make properties more resistant to wildfires, and its principles are being implemented across the province. Alberta’s government is also continuing to implement prescribed burns and selective harvesting to reduce the risks of wildfires by removing aging trees.
Aggressive measures to reduce the mountain pine beetle population have also been effective, with work ongoing to cut and burn infested trees as needed.
Quick facts
- The Community Fireguard Program was launched in 2023 to enhance wildfire preparedness for communities at risk of wildfires.
- Alberta’s government invested $5 million to support emergency fireguard construction in 2023, in response to extreme wildfire activities.
- Emergency fireguards were constructed in Buck Creek, Grande Prairie, Dimsdale, Lac Ste. Anne, Valleyview, Gift Lake and Fox Creek.
- The program received an additional $14 million in 2024.
Related information
Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:
“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.
“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.
“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.
“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.
“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.
“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”
From the Fraser Institute
By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.
Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.
In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.
Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.
The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.
Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.
Jock Finlayson
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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