 my name is Bo and mom minister of emergency management and climate readiness joining you today from the territories of the muskvim the school mission the slave took peoples. As of this morning there are approximately 3,800 people on evacuation order and 34,000 people on evacuation alert. These numbers are significant but we are trending in a positive direction as some evacuation orders are being downgraded to evacuation alerts. Over the last few days evacuation alerts covering approximately 30,000 people have been rescinded. This has allowed families to breathe a sigh of relief as they the threat level has reduced. This has been and continues to be an extremely difficult and challenging wildfire season for people in our province, particularly for people who have lost their homes and our hearts were with you. Over recent weeks the wildfire situation in the central region has stabilized which is why we're seeing evacuation orders gradually lifted. However in the north the situation remains dynamic. Strong winds over the weekend led to substantial wildfire growth in the northwest and the Prince George wildfire centers. Wildfires in the Vanderhoof and Fort St James region also displayed aggressive fire activity due to these hot dry and windy conditions. While the winds have since calmed we must all remain vigilant and prepared for future changes. Many parts of our province are experiencing low air quality as well as a result of the wildfire smoke. And so I want to remind people to keep yourselves safe and healthy if you're seeing these kinds of conditions. Stop or reduce your physical activity outside, keep cool and drink plenty of fluids and stay indoors whenever you are able. Also check on your neighbors who may be more vulnerable. We're all in this together. Since April 1st more than 2000 wildfires burned over 2.2 million hectares of land. These numbers are astronomical. It has been a relentless fire season, which has been compounded by severe drought and the impacts of climate change. Some local governments and First Nations and fire effective areas have started to focus their efforts now on recovery. And so as of today, we are declaring the 2023 BC wildfire season a DFA eligible event and opening eligibility for local governments and First Nations to apply for disaster financial assistance. For wildfire events, this funding can serve several purposes, including helping communities rebuild or repair essential public infrastructure like roads and bridges. It can also help local communities replace essential materials and support expenses related to inspections, appraisals, planning and design processes needed to determine recovery costs. And we are also rapidly increasing our recovery teams capacities to help communities with their recovery plans and assist with applications for this funding. All this being said, assessments are still underway to determine the extent of the damage caused to structures both public and private in communities. Homes have been lost, businesses have been impacted and livelihoods have been put in jeopardy. The full extent of the damage caused so far through this wildfire season is not yet known, but this doesn't change that the pain and hardship that many people are going through is profound. We are working closely with local governments, First Nations, regional districts to understand the extent of the loss and how to best support people through this time of recovery. And these are trying times, but we are stronger when we work together. Now, before I turn it over to Minister Ralston, I want to offer a cautious glimmer of hope. Historically, mid-September marks the conclusion of the peak wildfire season in British Columbia. This usually comes with a shift in weather patterns. We are in the home stretch, but we are not yet in the clear. Drought is severely impacting much of the province and there are still more than 400 wildfires burning in BC. While the end is near, it is critical that we all remain prepared. Please have an emergency plan. And if you are under an evacuation order, please leave immediately. Over the next several weeks, let's hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. Thank you. I'll now turn it over to Minister Ralston. Thanks very much, Minister Ma. Good afternoon. I'm Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. I'm honoured too to be here on the territory of the Muscovines, Malmush, and Slewa to the Peoples. Over the past several weeks, as you've heard from Minister Ma, British Columbia has experienced devastating wildfire activity across the province. This past long weekend, strong winds from the forecasted wind event resulted in substantial growth in some wildfires in the Northwest and Prince George fire centres, particularly the Cassiar, Mackenzie, Fort Nelson, Vanderhoof, and Fort St. James regions. As Minister Ma mentioned, the fire activity led to more evacuation orders and alerts. The fires have also caused smoke and poor air quality in many communities. One can easily understand that it's extremely difficult living day-to-day with smoke or near a fire, or being on an evacuation alert or an order. So on behalf of all British Columbians, thank you to the firefighters, first responders, emergency management teams, highway crews, and communities who are working tirelessly to keep people safe. Thankfully, the winds subsided Saturday, and wildfire growth has since stabilized. A cold front arrived near the end of the long weekend, which also decreased the aggressiveness of these fires. Across the province, temperatures are returning to seasonal norms, and overnight humidity is continuing to improve, though no notable rainfall is forecasted. There are currently 415 active wildfires burning across British Columbia, almost half of which remain out of control. I would like again to thank the BC Wildfire Service for their continued hard work and perseverance battling these fires during what has been an incredibly difficult summer. I also extend my gratitude to many out of province and indeed out of country personnel currently supporting our wildfire response efforts. We have currently about 500 out of province personnel from Mexico, South Africa, Ontario, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Manitoba. With the Labor Day weekend behind us and fall fast approaching, some might assume that the wildfire season has ended. It has not. The fire situation across the province is still very active, and every precaution should be taken by all. We ask everyone to do their part in preventing human cause fire starts by following all firebands. Open burning, including campfires, are prohibited across much of British Columbia. Please pay attention to your local prohibitions and restrictions as regional weather will be variable as we move into the fall. Drought conditions also continue across much of British Columbia. We know as we enter into the fall months and the new school year, everyone wants to get back to normal, but it is vital that we stay vigilant. The wildfire and drought situations are dynamic, and with the ongoing support of the public, we hope to protect the people and resources of our province. Thank you to everyone in British Columbia for their efforts made during these difficult times. With seasonal weather returning, we may begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Right now, 80% of the province remains in a level four or five classification, with five being the most severe drought classification possible. Over the Labor Day weekend, some regions in British Columbia saw welcome rain. Since now that we're in September, we'll start seeing cooler temperatures and rain, although I'd like to reiterate that we'll need several inches or more of rainfall over an extended period of time to help alleviate our drought conditions. I also know that it's been a difficult summer for ranchers and farmers, and this situation is very challenging for them. I want to assure them that we hear their concerns. We're here to support farmers and ranchers, and we will listen and work with them as we get through this challenging time together. Since June 2023, ministry staff have held bi-weekly drought meetings with representatives from local, provincial, and federal governments to undertake a collaborative approach to BC's drought conditions. Ministry staff have worked with licensed water users, local First Nations, and stakeholders for several months, and as we transition to the fall, the staff will be working collaboratively and continuing these discussions. Current drought levels are unprecedented and are leading to more severe wildfires as well as impacts to wildlife, habitat, and aquatic ecosystems. Fish are particularly at risk this time of year when they spawn. Scientists and experts in my ministry have been closely monitoring stream flows and connected groundwater levels. Voluntary conservation of water is being encouraged across the province. Thank you to everyone who is doing that. In some cases where scientists are seeing major threats where fish and salmon could be impacted for generations, targeted action is being taken. Protecting water is vital for people, farmers, and communities as well as fish and wildlife who depend on the rivers. We are working hard to make sure people have the water they need. We have proposed a significant agri-recovery program that will help BC ranchers impacted by fire get their businesses back up and running, as well as provide support for ranchers in severely impacted drought areas. Livestock producers have been under significant stress this summer and agri-recovery will help them with certain extraordinary expenses, not fully covered under existing programs and private insurance policies. We are also working to secure more feed for livestock through the Access to Feed program. The province has provided over $5 million to more than 100 BC ranchers to immediately support their cash flow and family businesses through agris stability. We have production insurance that farmers and ranchers can access, providing relief for insured growers from crop losses when they are damaged by weather conditions, and that includes drought. BC's agricultural producers are integral to our food security, and it's our job to support them. As we move forward, we'll be with BC's agricultural community every step of the way. We're going to continue to work directly with farmers and ranchers during this difficult time, and we'll continue to provide updates on our work. With the ongoing effects of global climate change, we all need to rethink and be more mindful of how we use water beyond the current situation. While we get further into the fall, more people, communities, first nations, businesses, and wildlife will likely face challenges across, around access to water. That's why we're asking people to conserve now to put ourselves in the best position to address possible concerns. And this will be an issue of the ministry and of the government's concern going forward. So thank you, and I'll turn it back over to Minister Mo. Thank you, Minister. We're now happy to take questions. In addition to Minister Bruce Ralston and myself, we have on the line Cliff Chapman, Director of Wildfire Operations with BC Wildfire Service. Connie Chapman, Acting Director of Water Management Branch with the Ministry of Forests. Jonathan Boyd, Hydrologist with the River Forecast Center with the Ministry of Forests. Brendan Rals with Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, as well as Mark Raymond with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Please press star one to enter the queue. Yes, star one to ask the question. For media in the room, please line up for microphone provided, and please make sure to provide your full name and outfit. Media will be limited to one question and one follow-up. We'll be starting in the room today. Please go ahead. Yeah, Monica Gul with City News. First question. The Mayor of Barrier is calling for an independent review on this wildfire season, similar to what happened following the 2003 wildfire season. Wondering if the province has a response to the mayor's request, and if some sort of substantial third party review is something the province is looking into doing. I hadn't heard that from the mayor, but it makes perfect sense that we would continuously be learning from all of these experiences, not just at the end of a season, but throughout as well. I don't know if Minister Wilson wanted to address the question. Thank you. Thanks very much. I just briefly supplement Minister Ma's response. Because this has been an unprecedented season, as you point out, the worst wildfire season ever, there will be substantial review of responses. This is the first year that we've had a much broader full-time wildfire service, and that will be evaluated. And I know Minister Ma and her ministry will also want to evaluate the mechanisms that have evacuation alerts and orders, just to make sure that we can do things better. In terms of a third party being engaged to do that, that decision hasn't been taken. But I appreciate the suggestion coming forward from the mayor. Yeah, I don't know if maybe Cliff would be more appropriate for this. Just wondering if we can get just sort of a snapshot view of the wildfire situation right now. Obviously, there was some development over the weekend, but I guess I'm curious if there are particular a particular fire that's sort of most concerning right now. And I know we are still in this season, but is it fair that the worst is over or behind us or not just kind of getting a look on the wildfire situation today? I think that's an ideal question for Cliff. Go ahead. Yeah, thank you for the question. As you heard from Minister Ma and Minister Ralston, we have seen I would say favorable weather after the weekend, favorable before the weekend for the southern part of the province. The northern half of the province did experience very, very significant winds. We saw some fire runs over the weekend, pushing 20 to 30 kilometres from where they were situated to where they are situated now. Those are significant fire runs for the province of BC, really for anywhere in the world. Fortunately, the impacts were less severe than we saw with West Kelowna and the Shishua, but there have been some impacts as we have continued to see orders and alerts in the northern half of the province. Now with the weather returning to more seasonal and even a little bit below seasonal, we're starting to see those days getting shorter. We're starting to see overnight recoveries become better. So we're starting to see the relative humidity drop or sorry, rise and the temperatures drop. So it's giving us more ability to use our fire suppression tactics effectively on all of our fires. So in terms of the rest of the season, we are luckily now in the September as the minister stated, you know, kids are back in school, the days are shorter, the nights are longer, it is a little bit cooler in the mornings and the evenings. So we're not out of it, still have a lot of work to do. And I think that's the key to stress here is that we may see another ridge of high pressure come over the province in the next 14 to 21 days, two to three weeks. And so we may not be finished in terms of fire growth. It is our optimistic opinion that we would, we're hopefully out of the, I guess out of the bad part of the fire season where we'll see some of the significant fire runs that we have seen. But there is still a chance with a cold front potentially passing in three weeks time that we may see the fires challenge our control line. So we've got a couple of weeks here to really put the thousands of people that are supporting BC and BC wildfire service to I'd say extremely effective work to try to contain all of the fires in the north, the south, really across BC. And hopefully, you know, as we continue to talk over the coming weeks, we'll see more rain show up in the forecast. And that's ultimately really what we really need to get us through until winter. So that's, we'll be working extremely hard. We'll be continuing with long shifts and 24 hour coverage to put these fires out. But we are still looking for that what we refer to as a season ending rain event. And right now that is not the forecast. Our next question. We're going to head to the phones. Our first question on the phone is from Rob Shaw. Check news, please go ahead. Hi there. Just hoping, can you recap some of the numbers for me off the top? You mentioned 30,000 evacuation alerts have been rescinded in the last few days. How many are remaining? How many orders are remaining? And do we know the number of structures that have been destroyed so far? Like even a rough total. Thank you so much for that question. So as of now, we have 3800 people on evacuation order. There are another 34,000 people on evacuation alert. This is a substantial reduction from even just a few days ago when we were seeing upwards of 65,000 people on evacuation alert. So we are trending in the right direction there. We are still working with communities on structure losses. You know, these communities have been through something very challenging and very traumatic. Different communities will move at different speeds. And we also have wildfire conditions that are different across the province. And so our ability to get back into certain areas to make assessments, it will change over time and hopefully improve over time. So that work is still underway. But at this time we are looking at structure losses across the province and in the hundreds. But this is, again, very preliminary right now. Rob, did you have a follow up? Sure, thanks. And on the drought situation, maybe there's someone there who could just sort of talk again about the drought and sort of find a way to explain it to people and how they might sort of understand it. Like how many days of rain ideally do we need or weeks of rain? Do we need to sort of get us out of this drought situation? Or is there another way we can quantify to folks how, how much rain outside of sort of an abstract millimeter count, we would kind of need to get us back to where we need to be. Sure. I'll start. I'll see if Minister Ralston has anything to add. And we can also pass it over to Jonathan Boyd of the River Forecast Centre too. Off the top, I want to emphasize how significant the drought that British Columbia is facing is right now. It is unlike any kind of drought conditions the province has ever faced. My opinion truly is a sleeping giant of a natural disaster that we are challenged with right now. The impacts will be very, very real, which is why we have been communicating to the public since, since April. The need to voluntarily reduce water use and conserve water. We've been working with communities to increase water restrictions, imploring water licensees to voluntarily reduce their draws and streams as well. The impacts to the ecosystem, to our industries, to ranchers and farmers, we've already seen some of those impacts come to fruition. And when it comes to what's going to happen over this fall, I would say there are three scenarios. The best case scenario we can hope for is extended gradual rain over long periods of time that gently recharge our reservoirs, gently recharge our stream systems and our ecosystems back to a healthy place. If we get too little water, then we could see an extended drought season that carries on into the next calendar year. And if we get too much water too quickly, then we may see storms and flooding, not unlike potentially what we saw in 2021. I will say that in 2021 we saw the beginnings of a extreme drought situation, nothing close to what we see this year. And how we were saved from that drought in 2021 unfortunately was through the Atmospheric River event, which was catastrophic to say the least. And so I don't say these things to scare people, but it is important for us to really understand how serious of a drought situation we are in and why when we take the measures that we do to put in water and fish protection orders that it is, we only do it because it is absolutely necessary because it is serious. Maybe we'll pass it over to Jonathan Boyd of the River Forecast Center to see if he has any numbers for us. Yeah, sure. Thanks, Minister Ma. And I think your answer was fantastic with the multiple scenarios there and it really is just dependent upon each specific region. And as an example, Vancouver Island, this is typically the dry season up to maybe the middle of September and we switch over into the wet season. So, a drought can end pretty quick on Vancouver Island if we get two or three large storm systems move through and dare I say the word atmospheric river, but but those types of storms will actually end the drought, potentially for Vancouver Island, where it is going to be drastic this year is that so much of the province is under drought conditions that there are going to be areas especially in an interior that just don't necessarily normally get rain that much in the fall months so the the drought could linger into the freeze up of winter and of course extend into the spring or summer of next year. So it really is all dependent it's hard to give a specific number anywhere and we actually have had reasonable amounts of rain over the past month and a half for the south coast and Vancouver Island but it has only just helped a little bit. That's in comparison to last year where it essentially didn't rain for about three months straight on on Vancouver Island. For our next question we're going to Catherine or global news. Please go ahead. Thanks for taking my call. I'm just going to pull up my question here in regards to the financial assistance that you're going to be offering. Do you have any sense of what that might cost the province at this point. I think that it's far too early for us to to give you an estimate on that we'll need to work very closely with communities to understand the kind of structure losses that they're facing kinds of supports that they need and work with them closely on that. Okay, is there a dollar figure per person that they can qualify for. So I should be, I should be clear that disaster financial assistance is intended to cover losses caused by disasters that are not insurable. And so in the case of wildfires, it will largely be public infrastructure building so public roads public buildings and other public assets. Catherine did you have a follow up. I wonder if you have the latest tally on the number of homes and structures that have burned across the province. At this time, we know that the numbers are in the hundreds. I won't be able to give you a more specific number than that because we are continuing to work with communities to assess that damage. I think we're going to rob buffham CTV Vancouver Island. Please go ahead. Rob, are you there. For Minister mom just wondering to Fino, I is experiencing a significant growth situation there on the cusp of stage for water restrictions, which they said might invoke a state of emergency. They're already restaurants are being advised, but have portafilter instead of normal functioning toilets. I wanted to get your reaction to how serious that growth situation is there. And in light of the fact that we can probably expect something similar in the future. What steps if any of the problems taking to prevent something like this from being a serious in the future. Yeah, I think that what to Fino is facing and what seashell had faced last year as well is an example of how serious water scarcity can be for communities. It is why we have been working with communities since April to help help them understand the seriousness of the drought that is occurring in the province and work with them to increase water restrictions like like to Fino has done. The consequences of a drought can be profound for many communities and individuals we are already seeing many impacts in the north where ranchers and farmers have been impacted by water scarcity. The inability to to irrigate their crops, either through necessary protection orders or simply because of low stream flows. What we're seeing right now are the consequences the very real impacts of climate change. British Columbia is as a province we are used to having a plentiful access to beautiful clean water. And we have not necessarily developed as a province the conservation mentality that we will now need to develop moving forward into the future. Rob, did you have a follow up? I do and it might be for Mr. Ralston it relates to something that's been discussed already it's the impact of the dread on cattle ranchers we spoke to a rancher today in the Couch and Valley who is upset because the facing a real financial burden importing hay from Washington State and for the help he's getting from the province today is not enough and he wants to see the province do more what do you say to him and is more help coming. Let me begin an answer and then we have someone from Mark Raymond from the Ministry of Agriculture and food who can talk specifically about the agra support programs that are in place. Certainly we recognize and certain and ranchers and cattlemen generally are experiencing the consequences of drought and the those who produce hay alfalfa and other feed for cattle are also experiencing those consequences as well. So, these are, these are difficult times for that sector, but there are programs and I appreciate that. The comment is that this person would like to see more but certainly there are a range of available programs and perhaps I could ask Mark Raymond to set out and in some detail that the programs that are available and I would think and I hope that that would meet the concerns of the person that you spoke with. Thank you Mark Raymond mastery of agriculture executive director. So we do have a number of programs to support the agriculture sector the first and foremost program is the access to feed program so we've been working very closely with the cattleman's association this year to start up and and set this program and put it into place. This program is essentially a matchmaking program that helps producers find feed access to feed we had a call this morning with the cattleman's association and they did indicate that there is feed available. Other provinces such as Alberta, we found some good sources of feed there that is able to bring that over to British Columbia. That being said, supply and demand prices are definitely higher for feed this year across western Canada. And that is what some of our financial support programs are in place to support. So we've got our agris stability program, which is our key program to support producers. We've opened the enrollment for that program up for to allow for a late enrollment and we have seen some pretty significant uptake of that program from producers across BC. And within that program we allow for advance payments to producers to help help with the financial support if they are having trouble covering costs with the immediate increases in feed there. So it is that agris stability program that is the key program supporting producers for that are having financial difficulties. And we really encourage producers to reach out and sign up and enroll for that program. For our next question we're going to Wolf-Depner Blackpress. Please go ahead. Thank you for taking my question. Todd Stone gave an interview on the other day where he called for a sort of a one stop shop to coordinate various agencies, various response authorities when it comes to dealing with these emergencies. What is your response to this demand from the official house leader? Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for that question. Certainly we know that there will be a variety of recovery needs dependent on community right across the province. Whether depending on the First Nation, the local government, the regional district, they will see different challenges and face different challenges in their recovery journey. We are currently significantly increasing our internal capacity to be able to support communities in the in the development and implementation of their recovery plans. And certainly if a community is interested in a one stop shop to help people with their recovery, that is absolutely a conversation that we're open to. Wolf, did you have a follow up? Yes, thank you. Our question from Minister Ralston. Obviously the assessment of the wild damage is still ongoing, but what if any evidence do you have so far? What if any signs toward the effect of forest industry? What damage, what were the damage factors? Will, I'm sorry, you're cutting out. Can we get you to please repeat that slowly? Of course, my apologies. This is a question for Minister Ralston. What if any evidence do you have so far? What if any research is available on the effects of the fires on the forest industry? What type of damage do you foresee for the forest industry after this wildfires? Thanks very much. I think maybe if I might summarize your question, you're asking what's the impact of the wildfire season in the regions of the province upon the forest industry. So there are a number of impacts. One, I just want to at the outset say thank you very much to the industry for participating in the firefighting effort. Many of the companies have equipment which they've made available to the BC Wildfire Service under contract and a lot of that has been arranged prior to the wildfire season. But they've been very cooperative and very supportive of the firefighting effort. Certainly it's early days in terms of assessing the damage in the sense of fire damage to a standing timber. Some of the areas are not what's considered to be prime forest land, but where there is forest land that I think the term is merchantable. In other words, it has an economic value as timber beyond the environmental and other attributes that we attribute to our forests. That assessment will be made. Typically one of the areas where there's a follow on is some of the burned timber once it's assessed by Ministry of Forest officials will be marketed for sale. Some of the companies have capacity and familiarity with how to use a fire damaged wood. I'm thinking particularly of Met and not so long ago with Kruger, which is the pulp company which now owns the Mill and Kamloops. They have the capacity to use fire damage wood in their in their process. It's not a perfect process because obviously there's some that's not usable. Taking that wood and using it or those trees and using it in that way also helps the regeneration of the forest because rather than leaving the timber standing there. I know we've all driven by parts of the province where some fires took place 20 or 30 years ago and the charred trees are still there. It helps in the regeneration of the forest. So it's a valuable service ecologically as well. But in terms of the overall impact on companies, there's been shutdowns as well. And that's a bit of early days to make that assessment of the impact. But once again, I just want to return to the cooperation that we've received from the forest industry and the workers of people that work for the forest industry. They've been very, very cooperative in the firefighting effort. Thank you. Our next question is for Brenna Owen, Canadian Press. Please go ahead. Thank you. Yeah, I guess I have kind of a similar question for Minister Wilson. I added up the total burned areas for the last 10 years 2014 to what we've seen so far in 2023. And it's about 65,000 square kilometers. So I know BC is working on a new system of forest landscape planning, saying, you know, the goal is to prioritize ecosystem health. But I'm wondering how is the province taking drought tolerance, wildfire resistance and climate change into account in that planning when it comes to the replanting and regeneration of forest after wildfire as well. I think you've you've hit upon the very profound challenge that forest landscape planning is designed to address. This is a process that is new. It's been trialed in four areas in the province. One would be in the canal area. What it rather than simply focus on timber values alone, as you say it focuses on a range of values, biodiversity ecological balance participation by First Nations and communities. And through a process of discussion and consensus building will come to develop a plan for a particular region that will lead to some areas that will be not harvested some areas where there will be mixed use and some areas which will be economic zones for harvesting. The challenge will be to do that in a timely way, but there are there's money in the budget and has been beyond the pilots for eight other regions to do these forest landscape plans and we're optimistic that this will bring about a new era in forest management in the province. And so far my assessment based on the reports I've received is that it has huge potential and it is working. Brenna, do you have a follow up? Yeah, I guess I'm just wondering like in terms of how that process is going to be used to create a landscape that's perhaps, you know, we're not going to see fires burning quite as intensely like I know climate changes at play but what kind of changes might we be able to expect when it comes to like silviculture practices, stocking standards for logging companies like which tree species are being planted and how are they being distributed? Are those the kinds of changes we can expect to see through this process? I think some of those responses are in development but certainly I think what and there's always been in forest management attention to the fire potential and the result of fire. We have initiated new legislation that takes draws on indigenous knowledge and talks about how we might use fire in a traditional way to burn areas in a preventative way that would then prevent or reduce the likelihood of a major fire in a region. That's one step. In addition to around communities, there is a program called fire smart which is a number of municipalities have participated in and that is to reduce the fuel on the forest floor and among the forest that's adjoining to largely communities that reach out into the forest as they develop to increase safety. Certainly the mayor of Kelowna has told me that in the Knox mountain fire which is a major urban park right adjacent to their downtown that the fact that they had to use that program to reduce the fire risk there made a real difference when there was a fire there and their ability to put it out very quickly. Without a risk to if the fire had proceeded into the major downtown area of Kelowna would have been like a major major calamity to property and to live. So, so I think the the long term discussion is not so much and obviously we're still in the middle of fire season we have over 400 fires so I don't want to ignore that. But in the long term we really have to begin to think about how we're going to respond to what is likely a higher risk of fire both in non populated areas, and those areas adjacent to our cities towns and villages. I think Cliff Chapman had something to add. Yeah, thank you very much. First off, I think that's an excellent question the way that you frame that and the specifics of the tactics on the ground and think Minister Ralston has done an amazing job of talking with some of the operations that have already been embedded in the four FLP pilots across BC that have been inclusive of fire at those tables with First Nations local governments industry and us to really try to look at the landscape through the lens of what are the impacts that fire may have on this landscape, whether it be midterm or timber supply, old growth, caribou habitat, First Nation hierarchy, archaeological values and really coming together as a community government non government local government to try to plan what's best for that landscape in long term. Obviously with the impacts of fire, fire needs to be at that table and we are and the plan is for us to continue to be there at the eight additional FLPs that are being launched and every FLP that's launched after that. The other pieces I just want to quickly touch on is around cultural and prescribed fire and I've spoken about this in the past. That is the one of the tools that allow scalability for a province of our size with the hazard that we carry to try to eliminate the fuels ahead of the fire season. That is something that we've made a large investment in over the last two years. We're working through co-developing our cultural fire strategy with First Nations working with industry on how we can go back to broadcast burning and looking at legislative changes associated with that so that we can do it on the landscape at scale. Reducing risk at scale in BC is the target. That's what FLPs are designed to do from a fire lens as well as the ability for us to apply fire in a positive way, changing our relationship with fire from being inherently negative thing in this province to being more positive when we do it under the control of the spring. It's a significant planning partnership with First Nations, local governments, industry and others to really execute the reduction of that fuel ahead of the fire season and then something we can do year over year. So I appreciate that line of questioning. Happy to follow up offline as well with the reporter if they want to go a little bit more in depth on the fire side. Thank you. Our next question is for Alyssa Tebow, CTV. Please go ahead. Hi there. Thank you for taking my question. This is for Jonathan Boyd with the River Forecast Centre. We just heard, I would say almost a scary dire warning from Minister Ma about the prospect of potential flooding if we do get a lot of rain or extended drought conditions if we don't get rain. Can you talk a little bit more about what is our long-term forecast? Yeah, sure. It's Jonathan Boyd here with River Forecast Centre. So in terms of long-term forecast, it's a little bit difficult to give any specifics for coastal fall and winter flooding beyond about 10 to 12 days and that's really just related to the weather forecast. So we are moving into an El Nino winter season and what typically happens when we have those events is that it's a little bit warmer. It can be wetter, it can sometimes be drier, there isn't any major skill in terms of the precipitation side of things. Where there's added risk is that there have been so many wildfires that if we do have heavy rainfall in an area that was recently burned, there is potential for more rapid runoff and potential to have extra debris coming down into the rivers, maybe even blocking the rivers at culverts or bridges, which then can create washouts that have a net effect further downstream. So to know whether it's going to be a busy fall and winter season based on atmospheric rivers, it's still just unfortunately too early to say it at this moment, but it can flip like a switch and Minister Maul was referencing 2021 where we had a really severe drought that was kickstarted by the heat dome in late June of that year, and it was incredibly dry right up to about the 15th of September and after that it seemed to be atmospheric river after atmospheric river that rolled through and eventually had the catastrophic atmospheric river on the 14th and 15th of November of that year, so only time will tell, but it is certainly still on the cards as a possibility as we move into the fall and winter. Alyssa, did you have a follow up? I did, yes. So, given what the drought situation is that we have at the moment, what is the best case scenario for how we come out of this because obviously too much rain at once is not good, and not enough rain is not ideal either so what's the ideal outcome that what we need right now? I think the best case scenario for us going into the fall is gradual precipitation over a long period of time, not too fast so as to trigger floods or landslides but not so slow that we miss the opportunity to recharge our ecosystems before the freeze comes in. And that's another factor that we have to consider that at some point the ground does freeze in most parts of the province and once the ground is frozen it will not absorb water as efficiently anymore if at all. And so whether we go and whether we start 2024 in drought conditions will be determined by the amount of water that the ground has absorbed by the time it freezes for the winter. I'm just going to check with Jonathan to make sure that I forgot that right because I probably should have left that question to you actually. Yeah, Minister Maw, I think that was a fantastic answer and just in areas in the north the time is running out just because we can start to get into freeze up in mid October to early November for those areas and the reality is that they also don't typically get that much precipitation in these months ahead so there is an expectation that that some areas are going to continue into drought through the through the winter. But of course for the coast, exactly what you said to moderate precipitation over wide area and ongoing is the best situation but that's very rare usually rain falls from storm specific storm events that occur in relatively short periods of time. Our next question is for Richard Justin global news. Please go ahead. Looks like we've lost Richard we're going to go to Lisa used a city news. Lisa please go ahead. I just wonder a minister you could just give one more little bit of clarification about this disaster relief funding that's available that it is just for communities and just for infrastructure that would not have been able to be insured. Yes, correct. So disaster financial assistance is a program that provides support for damage caused by disasters that are uninsurable. Let me actually I'm going to make sure I actually say that correctly just because you asked for clarity. So it is so disaster financial assistance covers losses caused by disasters that are not insurable. Wildfire insurance is widely available across the province except in the public sector. And so most of the disaster financial assistance here will will go to support First Nations local governments regional districts and the rebuilding of public public infrastructure. We cover up to 95% of those costs and work closely with those communities about on their recovery plans. In addition to the disaster financial assistance that we are announcing today we are still working very closely with these local governments regional districts and First Nations to understand the extent of the damage both public and private within their communities. Also understand how we can help support them in rebuilding their communities as a whole. Lisa, did you have a follow up? Yeah, I guess simply is there any hope for people who have home to what insured. So anybody who has a private structure that has been damaged we encourage them to reach out to their insurance companies right away. The good news is in many communities like the Kelowna area the insurance rates are the insuring insuring rates the rate of people who have their homes insured is actually quite high. So so that's really good news and obviously it's a reminder to everybody whether you're a homeowner or a renter that insurance is absolutely a must here in British Columbia for a variety of reasons. That being said, those who do not have insurance, we are very aware that they will likely require ongoing supports in terms of housing and their immediate needs. And so right now we have emergency support services, provided and deployed right across the province, but there will be a question as to what kind of medium and longer term supports will be required for those who are in the unfortunate position of not having insurance that that takes care of them during this time. That's all the questions we have for today. Thank you.