B.C. budgets $15 million for FireSmart projects in 2027
Published 5:29 pm Sunday, September 13, 2026
The B.C. government will be offering a total of $15 million in 2027 to support wildfire risk reduction projects in individual communities.
The funding was announced on Sunday, Sept. 13 and is part of the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports (FCFS) program.
“British Columbia has just faced another tough wildfire season,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “This wildfire season reinforced what we know to be true: FireSmart works. We’re beginning the work now to help communities prepare for the 2027 wildfire season by engaging in active forest management, by building community resilience and by reducing the threat of wildfire.”
Local governments and First Nations in B.C. can apply to the 2027 intake. Examples of projects supported by FCFS funding include:
FireSmart education and training;
home and critical-infrastructure assessments;
rebates and mitigation projects;
community wildfire-resiliency planning; and
positions that build capacity and support FireSmart initiatives.
“FireSmart funding gives Peachland the tools to take action before a wildfire threatens our community. It allows us to support residents with home assessments, rebates and education, while also advancing neighbourhood and municipal fuel-reduction projects. For a community like Peachland, with our unique geography, vegetation and wildland-urban interface, investing in wildfire prevention today is an investment in the safety and resilience of our residents tomorrow,” said Patrick Van Minsel, mayor of Peachland.
In 2026, 47 communities were able to get a total of $9.3 million of FCFS funding.
The intake for the 2027 round of funding will open on Oct. 1, 2026.
The B.C. government said it is also practicing fire management through a variety of methods. Using forest stewardship principles from First Nations, the Province said it is practicing techniques such as commercial thinning, prescribed burns and “other forms of light-touch forestry” which aim to reduce the fuel that wildfires can absorb. The B.C. government added that the BC Timber Sales mandate has been expanded to include wildfire fuel management practices in logging operations.
Work by the Forest Enhancement Society of BC aims conduct wildfire-risk reduction projects on Crown land, the Province said.
“The Province is supporting wildfire resilience for communities at every level, from the planning process to active land management, to help protect communities from the complex and growing challenge of wildfire,” the B.C. government said.