The Ministry of Natural Resources says its firefighting personnel will expand by nearly 70 workers next year, but says it will be more than five years before the department receives half a dozen new waterbombers.
In a news release last month, the ministry says 68 new personnel planned for the 2026 fire season will consist of both firefighters and support staff. Though the province has earmarked $500 million for six De Havilland, DHC-515 waterbombers, the new planes aren't expected to arrive until "the early 2030s," the news release said.
As wildfire seasons have intensified in recent years, the province has come under fire from union officials for not providing adequate pay and training for front-line firefighters.
In the face of that criticism, the province has maintained it will "continue to build on recent investments in the wildland fire program."
"This includes the 100 permanent positions that were filled in 2024 and 2025, and investing $64 million with the federal government for upgraded equipment, training and modern fire suppression tools."
The 2025 Ontario wildfire season was among the worst in memory. More than 640 fires burned nearly 6,000 square kilometres across the province, with most of the damage occurring in Northwestern Ontario.
Despite the bad season in Ontario this year, the province managed "to support our partners, with over 400 fire personnel and six aircraft supporting firefighting in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, as well as south of the border in Minnesota," the ministry news release said.
In Ontario, wildfire season officially starts on April 1 and runs until Oct. 31.