Manitoba youth advocate calls for more help for kids affected by wildfires

The Manitoba advocate for children and youth says the provincial government must do more to reduce the harm caused to young people from wildfires.

Sherry Gott says children’s health and education are hurt by fires, particularly in remote and Indigenous communities that are more likely to be evacuated.

She says in addition to breathing smoke and missing school, studies have shown children exposed to wildfires are more likely to experience adverse mental health effects than adults.

Gott’s office is calling on the province to assess the full impact of fires on young people, and to ensure mental health, education and child protection supports are part of emergency planning.

This year’s wildfire season in Manitoba was the worst in decades, with 32,000 people forced out of their communities.

Gott’s office, an independent body that reports to the legislature, says the impact on children and youth can be long-lasting.

“Children’s right to education has … been severely impacted, as hundreds of school-aged children have been pulled from classrooms, losing not just lessons, but safe, structured spaces to learn, socialize, and grow,” Gott’s office said in a written statement Wednesday.

“What should be a time of learning, playing, and feeling safe has, for children and youth dislocated by wildfires, turned into weeks, months, and sometimes years of living in temporary shelters including evacuation centres and hotel rooms.”

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Gott also pointed to a need to better prevent fires from threatening communities.

“The government of Manitoba has a duty to secure the conditions necessary for children to live and thrive, which includes preserving and protecting the natural environment on which their well-being depends,” the statement said.

“Failing to take timely action to protect the land, therefore, is not acceptable.”