Wildfire investigation answers aren't coming fast enough, opposition MLAs say
Some MLAs believe province hesitant to release information about cause of major fires
The New Brunswick government says it's now planning for the next wildfire season, but some opposition MLAs are questioning why more information hasn't been shared about the cause of this year's fires.
Appearing at a legislative committee on Wednesday, the deputy minister of the Department of Natural Resources, Cade Libby, said the department is still investigating what caused one such major blaze, outside Moncton, that put about 900 structures and 1,500 people at risk.
Speaking with reporters at the legislature, Progressive Conservative MLA Kris Austin questioned why the public hasn't gotten answers about what happened.
"How are these fires starting? It seems to be a big question mark. And I get the impression government is a little hesitant to push that," Austin said.
"This disrupted a lot of New Brunswickers' lives. We talk about Irishtown, very close to Moncton, very close to structures, where it could have been catastrophic had we not had the resources there quickly."
MLA wants more answers about New Brunswick’s intense wildfire seasonGreen Party Leader David Coon echoed that concern.
"This government has proven itself, so far, to be extremely slow in sharing information with the public," he said in an interview.
"For me it's... a crisis of accountability that's going on here... By not sharing information, then you know, they escape that concern about having to hold someone accountable for a mishap."
The Department of Natural Resources referred follow-up questions about the investigation to the Department of Justice and Public Safety, which did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Roger Collett, the province's wildfire co-ordinator, has said another large fire outside Miramichi, known as the Oldfield Road fire, was likely human-caused.
While wildfire season is supposed to end this month, Libby said the department is considering extending its safeguards past then. He said that will depend on conditions in the weeks to come, and how much rain the province gets.
No structures lost
Libby said no structures were lost in this year's season, which to date has seen 422 fires burn through 3,505.3 hectares of land. That blows past New Brunswick's 10-year average of 244 fires impacting 412.8 hectares.
The situation has called for a large-scale response, Libby said, involving department staff, municipal firefighters and forestry companies that hold Crown timber licences.
Liberal MLA Sam Johnston said his riding had private companies willing to contribute to the Oldfield fire response, and suggested the province could improve its process of working with those parties.
"Perhaps there could be better co-ordination and communication with local lumber contractors and companies, who also employ people who are trained to respond to those fires," Johnston said.
He said that could increase the speed of deployment, among other things.
We've had kind of verbal agreements with these companies for quite some time... We are getting to a point where it makes sense to have something maybe more in writing and substantial.
- Cade Libby, deputy minister, Department of Natural Resources
The deputy minister said work is underway to formalize agreements with such companies, with an aim to have them in place before the 2026 season.
"There will be a variety of purposes of the [memorandum of understanding], not only to get resources quickly, but it's just really to understand the logistics of that, the communication and so forth that needs to happen with securing resources," Libby said.
"We've had kind of verbal agreements with these companies for quite some time, for many years. But we felt that, you know, we are getting to a point where it makes sense to have something maybe more in writing and substantial."
The deputy minister said the department will be over budget this year due to the costs of fighting the wildfires but he couldn't say exactly by how much.
The province's next quarterly fiscal update, looking at expenditures up to Sept. 30, is expected next month.
Coon acknowledged it's difficult to budget for annual wildfire response, but he is concerned that the province isn't prepared enough for the future.
He said the MOUs being worked on now should have already been in place.
"It fits into this problem with having to, to now plan for rapidly accelerating climate change, and all the consequences that brings like increased fire risk, and the department and the government not funding the ability of the department to catch up with that."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sam Johnston
Sam Johnston is the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Miramichi Bay-Neguac.
He is a member of the following standing committees: Private Bills, Economic Policy, Estimates and Fiscal Policy, Public Accounts and Social Policy.
Mr. Johnston is an alumnus of the University of New Brunswick, earning B.A., B.Ed. and M.Ed.
Mr. Johnston had a diverse career as a federal public servant, which included being inducted as an executive manager with Correctional Service Canada’s regional management team in 2014, where he served as Director of Interventions. Mr. Johnston also served on the Miramichi city council.
Mr. Johnston’s passions include being a Master martial arts instructor. He is an 8th degree belt, 2017 World Hanmadang Champion, Member Miramichi Sports Wall of Fame and a nominee in the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.
As a survivor of acute myeloid leukemia, Mr. Johnston shares his time as a motivational speaker to instill hope and determination in others who are affected by cancer.
Constituency Office
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From: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
Date: Fri, Aug 9, 2024 at 9:10 AM
Subject: Fwd: RE Calls from Moncton RCMP (506 856 8139) about ‘PJ’ Andreetti and I
To: <bodger1@bellaliant.net>, <sam.johnston@miramichi.org>
Sam Johnston
City Councillor
Phone - 1-506-624-7267
Email - sam.johnston@miramichi.org
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The trail may be getting colder, but it's not too late to determine wildfire cause, says investigator
Proving a fire was human-caused can take months or years
It's been over a month since the start of the two largest and most disruptive wildfires, so far, in an exceptionally busy season in New Brunswick, and an outside expert in wildfire investigation says it could take much longer before the causes are officially determined.
The Oldfield Road fire started Aug. 6 and led to considerable anxiety for residents of Miramichi, about 15 kilometres south. It burned more than 1,400 hectares and caused a detour on Route 8 for a couple of weeks.
The Pitt fire, in the Irishtown area north of Moncton, started Aug. 10 and had about 1,500 residents frantically packing up their belongings as they braced for possible evacuation — a situation that continued for a few days.
These were just two of 348 fires this season, which officially continues until the end of October, although fire activity has dropped significantly in the last few weeks.
A total of 2,503 hectares has burned in 2025, according to the Department of Natural Resources. That compares to an average of 230 fires a year over the past 10 years, burning an average of 404 hectares annually.
The minister of natural resources has acknowledged that the Oldfield and Irishtown fires are of particular interest. Provincial officials have said neither was caused by lightning and the investigations were expected to "take a bit of time."
"They are very likely exploring all avenues to have a complete picture of what happened," said Theo Bailey, who investigates wildfires in Alberta, a province that has recently seen more than 1,000 wildfires a year, burning hundreds of thousands to millions of hectares.
Investigators across the country conduct their work in a similar manner, following the same training standards, said Bailey, and it's not unusual for an investigation to take this long.
At this point, New Brunswick investigators may have an idea of the cause of each of the two fires, he said, but they could still have a lot of work to do before they can complete their investigations.
Any investigation begins with the search for the origin of the fire, Bailey said.
That's done through an analysis of burn scars or fire pattern indicators that are left behind as fire moves through an area, he said.
"Trained investigators look for these signs that indicate the direction of fire spread, and they follow those back to the origin."
Once that's determined, they look for signs of what caused the fire, he said, and there are many possibilities.
"When the hazard is high, many activities that take place out in forested or grassland areas can lead to a fire. Really anything that causes a spark," Bailey said.
Recreational activities such as campfires are common causes in late summer, he said.
Sparks can also come from the buildup of debris on an all-terrain vehicle, he continued, or from someone hitting a rock with a lawn mower or welding, grinding or other industrial activity.
"They're certainly not our most frequent of causes, but it is something that we look for," Bailey said, noting that the most common causes vary by jurisdiction.
This chart shows more than half of wildfires in Alberta are human caused. (Government of Alberta)
"Depending on the circumstances, high complexity investigations can extend for months," he said.
Longer investigations often involve consulting with outside experts, said Bailey.
"For example, if they're needing more information on mechanical equipment, they may consult with mechanics — whether it's small engines, heavy duty mechanics, railway or otherwise.
"They will work with experts in that field that can explain the operations of that equipment and what may have led to a failure that could have caused a fire."
In some cases, with serious fires, it can even take years for investigators work though large volumes of data and follow proper procedures, he said.
"They may be doing things like seeking additional data from involved parties or exploring other investigative avenues that are more advanced techniques similar to what you would see in traditional law enforcement investigations.
"That could lead to judicial authorizations, things like search warrants and production orders and things like that. And those do take time.
"In an effort to be full, frank and fair … they have to explore all avenues before they're able to make their final determination."
CBC News requested any available update on the wildfire investigations on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Public Safety Department replied Tuesday that it still cannot comment because the investigations continue.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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From: Blanchet, Yves-François - Député <Yves-Francois.Blanchet@parl.
Date: Wed, Oct 8, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Subject: Réponse automatique : The Crown has a conduct code??? Yea Right Tell me another one
To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.
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