B.C. wildfires hit Indigenous reserves harder, human rights report says

VANCOUVER — A new report from British Columbia’s Human Rights Commissioner says Indigenous reserves are four times more likely to face wildfires than non-reserve communities in the province.

The report from the office of Kasari Govender looking into the impact of wildfires on vulnerable communities finds Indigenous groups as well as children and those experiencing poverty are disproportionately impacted by the blazes.

Govender’s report says that between 2000 and 2024, Indigenous reserves comprised all but one of the 37 B.C. communities where at least half of their total land area was burned by wildfires.

Lytton, B.C., which was largely destroyed by the 2021 heat dome wildfire, was the exception, but Govender notes that more than 30 per cent of the community’s population was Indigenous.

In a statement, Govender says the report shows the impact of wildfires across communities in B.C. is “unequal” and must be recognized.

She says it may be due to a number of reasons, including distance from urban centres, gaps in infrastructure, and “failure to recognize First Nations’ jurisdiction” that can limit emergency response.

“While wildfires impact us all, it is important to recognize that there are people and communities that are more exposed, less able to protect themselves and slower to recover,” Govender says in a statement.

“As the threat of wildfire increases, these unequal impacts become more pronounced.”

She says decision-makers must ensure preparedness and mitigation strategies do not leave the most vulnerable behind.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2026.