Dear Residents of SYSRC:
In November I informed you that we had signed an agreement with Transitional Solutions Inc. (TSI) to have them develop a Wildlife Resiliency Plan for Sunbury York South Community.
The cost of the project was $92,000 allocated as follows:
- $61,000 Federal government
- $31,000 Provincial Government
- $3,944 SYSRC (SYSRC’s portion of the HST on the $92,000)
I am happy to report that TSI have completed their work and provided us with the plan for SYSRC. The purpose of the plan is to help us understand our specific wildfire threats and implement locally appropriate actions that reduce risk, protect lives and property, and strengthen the community’s overall emergency preparedness.
This Community Wildfire Resilience Plan (CWRP) was developed through collaboration and reflects input from representatives of the Sunbury-York South Rural Community, local volunteer fire departments serving the area, the Capital Region Service Commission, and provincial agencies responsible for wildfire management and emergency preparedness.
This Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (CWRP) evaluates wildfire hazard, exposure, and response capacity across Sunbury-York South and identifies practical actions to reduce wildfire risk and identifies a coordinated set of mitigation and preparedness actions aligned with the FireSmart™ Canada framework.
Key recommendations focus on reducing structure ignition potential within the Home Ignition Zone, improving defensible space around homes and agricultural buildings, managing vegetation in priority interface areas, and strengthening community awareness of wildfire prevention practices. Additional measures include evacuation and access pre-planning for higher-risk neighbourhoods, improved mapping of drafting sites and rural water supply infrastructure, expanded wildland and WUI training for responding fire departments, and strengthened coordination with the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and regional response partners.
Implementation of the CWRP will require collaboration between municipal leadership, volunteer fire departments, provincial agencies, private landowners, agricultural operators, forestry stakeholders, and residents.
This CWRP is intended to serve as a living planning document that guides wildfire mitigation and preparedness over time. The plan should be reviewed and updated at least every five years, or sooner if significant development, wildfire events, or changing climate conditions alter the local wildfire risk profile.
The CWRP provides a clear framework for municipal leadership, emergency services, partner agencies, and residents to work together on coordinated, long-term solutions that reflect local conditions, governance structures, and community capacity. It is a practical planning tool intended to support the protection of people, homes, and community assets across a predominantly rural landscape. It provides the community, residents, and partner agencies with a clear understanding of priority wildfire risks and identifies actions that can be implemented over time to strengthen community resilience.
The plan proposes a series of actions on the part of community partners over a period of several years. It will be given to your next council once they are sworn in and they will be responsible for any follow up action assigned to the community government.
The report can be accessed through this link.
Don Ferguson
Supervisor SYSRC