NATIONAL PULSE – Wildfire fears burn hot as belief in climate change drops

That said, three-quarters say climate change is contributing to worsening fires

By ANGUS REID INSTITUTE

July 20, 2026 – Smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning across northern Ontario has blanketed large parts of Canada and drifted deep into the United States this week, triggering air-quality warnings from the Midwest to the East Coast and threats of tariffs from the U.S. president, who argues Canada is not doing enough to control and prevent the fires.

Against this smoky backdrop, new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians bracing for difficult fire seasons to become the norm. More than half (56%) say the number and impact of fires will worsen over the next 10 to 20 years, while 30 per cent say this type of challenging year is what can be expected. Just four per cent say there’s hope for better going forward.

Most also connect the growing wildfire threat to climate change, even while the proportion of Canadians saying humans are causing it continues to drop.

Three-quarters say climate change is either a major (55%) or minor factor (20%) in making fires worse, despite the number saying it is mostly caused by human activity dropping 12 points since 2021.

More Key Findings:

A similar 12-point decrease is noted in the number of Canadians saying climate change poses a “very serious threat” to the planet (50% to 38%). Still, 68 per cent say the threat is serious or very serious overall

B.C. residents are most likely to say they have made preparations in the case of a wildfire emergency this year. Three-in-10 say they have a “go bag” packed if they need to leave their home (29%) while 17 per cent say this nationally.

Half (52%) of Canadians are confident in their local government’s ability to respond to wildfires. Quebec residents are most confident (66%) and Ontario residents least (42%).

Half of those Canadians who say that climate change is a crisis and Canada needs to act quickly also say they support the recently announced Alberta to B.C. pipeline

Link to the poll here: http://www.angusreid.org/
Download .PDF with detailed tables, graphs and methodology.