Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to meet with members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are assisting with firefighting efforts in Alberta. (Photo: Gintsivuskans | Dreamstime.com)

By Canadian Press

Trudeau to visit Edmonton, meet with CAF personnel assisting with wildfires

May 15, 2023 | 10:29 AM

EDMONTON, AB – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to stop in Edmonton this morning to meet with Canadian Armed Forces personnel who are assisting Alberta in fighting ongoing wildfires.

About 300 members of the Canadian Armed Forces will be deployed across the province to help with the blazes that have forced thousands of Albertans to flee their homes and rural properties.

Wildfires officials are warning that rising temperatures that have been a problem for crews battling wildfires in the province’s north are now also a concern in Alberta’s south.

Josee St-Onge of Alberta Wildfire says conditions in the south aren’t as extreme at the moment, but the province may need to reposition resources so it can be ready to respond quickly to new fires in the area.

St-Onge says fire crews are already in the Rocky Mountain and Calgary forests in the south, and could be bolstered with resources from the north, or from outside the province, if fires break out and grow there.

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The number of evacuees in Alberta grew to more than 19,300 on Sunday, with 24 of the 87 active wildfires considered out of control.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2023.

The Canadian Press