Hit by wildfire, Ontario resort owners question why fire bans weren’t imposed this year. ‘It was a no-brainer’

The owners of resorts destroyed by wildfires in northern Ontario are questioning why the province didn’t move sooner to restrict outdoor burning in the tinder-dry region, raising concerns over what they describe as the Ministry of Natural Resources’ “out of character” preparations.

Dale Wirta, owner of Cushing Lake Resort — about 140 kilometres west of Thunder Bay — said in an interview that, in the weeks before the first fire, there were whispers among community members of machinery starting fires on the dry landscape, but unlike other years, no fire ban was issued by MNR.