Victims of the Quebec wildfires who had to leave their homes will be eligible for financial compensation, provincial officials said on Friday.
The government says affected households will be able to get up to $1,500 in financial aid if residents had to vacate a primary residence due to an emergency order or an official recommendation by local authorities.
Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said at a news conference that evacuation expenses paid for by municipalities will also be entirely reimbursed by the province. Organizations that helped during the massive forest fires will also be eligible for certain reimbursements.
“We will do everything we can to alleviate your burden,” Bonnardel said. “I salute the courage and devotion of all those intervening on the grounds as well as the resilience of evacuated people.”
J’ai annoncé un programme d’aide financière qui vise à offrir aux personnes évacuées, aux municipalités touchées, de même qu’aux organismes portant assistance à ces dernières, un soutien financier adapté aux besoins de la situation. https://t.co/zLFjDpTSgn pic.twitter.com/V7bUQkXP1c
— François Bonnardel (@fbonnardelCAQ) June 9, 2023
This comes as more than 13,500 people have been displaced due to the fires that began at the end of May, many of them from the northern regions of Chibougamau and Lebel-sur-Quevillon.
Meanwhile, dozens more firefighters from France arrived Friday in Quebec, where they will join the effort to put out the more than 140 fires burning across the province.
Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency, known as SOPFEU, says the French firefighters are expected to head to Roberval, in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region, for a briefing before they begin fighting the blazes.
As of Friday morning, the province said 141 fires were still burning across Quebec, including 127 in the bottom half of the province where firefighting efforts are concentrated.
On Thursday, Premier François Legault said the wildfire situation in the province is expected to remain stable in the next couple of days, but it’s unclear when residents will be able to return home.
The province has reported a total of 444 wildfires so far this year, compared to an average of 207 in the past years.
–with files from The Canadian Press
Wildfires in Quebec, Ontario impact air quality in New York City
