Private firefighters in Alberta are raising concerns with Canadian immigration authorities and the Canada Border Services Agency about providing work exemptions to a large U.S. private wildfire company that has been hired by insurers to fireproof homes in Western Canada.. The partnership offers fire prevention services to most home policyholders in Alberta and British Columbia when their homes are threatened by a wildfire that is less than five kilometres away.
Kristopher Liivam, president of Arctic Fire Safety Services Ltd. in Eckville, Alta., said he was surprised and disappointed that the U.S.-based company was granted work permit exemptions as there is an “abundant amount” of contract emergency response resources in Alberta. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokesperson Jeffrey MacDonald responded to Globe questions about the exemptions, saying “We cannot confirm that foreign nationals have been engaged in Canada by the company you are referring to or, if they have, what type of status they have.”
Mr. Liivam said the services WDS offers – and many other fire prevention operations – are not a specialized response that should be deemed emergency work. Rather, many of the services are done ahead of a blaze and do not include fire suppression. Aviva Canada spokesperson Hazel Tan said it partnered with WDS to provide a free service to customers that will help protect their homes during active wildfires.