Union blasts Ford government for ‘mismanagement’ of forest firefighting efforts

By Jon Thompson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Ricochet As wildfires swallow swaths of northern Ontario, in what is already the worst wildfire season in the province’s history, the union representing forest firefighters is sounding the alarm over what he calls “government mismanagement at the highest levels.” Noah Freedman, vice president of Local 703 with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, says from human resources to aircraft, the province’s culture of relying on surge funding to pay for forest fires is costing Ontario a lot more than money. “What we’re talking about is government mismanagement at the highest levels,” Freedman says.