Canada is already building wildfire detection systems — we just call it defence technology

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We just haven't decided they're allowed to do more than one jobLast updated 22 minutes ago The Bald Range wildfire burning near Summerland, B.C., on Aug. 16, 2026. Photo by Handout/BC Wildfire Service/AFP via Getty Images filesBad wildfire seasons have started to feel like weather, something Canadians endure rather than monitor and control. In cooler months, the same is becoming true of catastrophic floods, atmospheric rivers and ice storms.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountWe’re already building the capability to see these threats sooner. We’re just building it for a different job: national defence.Increasingly, modern defence requires knowing what is happening in vast, remote places before anyone else does. Systems such as rugged sensor networks that can survive months in isolated terrain, drones and autonomous collaborative platforms that need to be capable of patrolling inaccessible land, and ocean and communications systems that have to operate where cellular coverage doesn’t exist.These capabilities are currently being developed to monitor Arctic coastlines, remote airstrips and critical infrastructure. Yet the engineering challenge is remarkably similar when the threat isn’t a foreign enemy, but a wildfire or a flood. A sensor that can spot a threat in the darkness of winter in the Arctic can also spot a heat signature in a dry, summer forest in northern Ontario.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAustralia has already demonstrated what this kind of thinking looks like.Following the devastating Black Summer bushfires in 2019 and 2020, the country expanded its use of advanced aerial surveillance, national firefighting assets and early warning systems. Engineers adapted military-grade electro-optical and infrared sensors to help firefighters see through dense smoke and track fire fronts more effectively.In the United States, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Forest Service are integrating satellite networks, remotely piloted aircraft and infrared sensing — all originally developed for aerospace and national security — into wildfire detection and emergency response.California now uses artificial intelligence to analyze imagery from more than 1,000 cameras to identify new fires within minutes rather than hours.Canada should be doing the same.Picture a network of remote sensors spread across northern forests and hydro corridors that connect our most remote regions. Instead of waiting for smoke to be reported when it reaches our communities, those systems could identify unusual heat signatures or changes in atmospheric conditions long before flames are visible from the nearest human vantage point.Autonomous aircraft designed to patrol enormous areas could confirm those alerts and map the fire’s perimeter with thermal imaging. They could relay real-time information to emergency crews without placing pilots in danger.Edge computing would allow information to be analyzed on local servers in real time, processing critical details much faster than the time it would take to send them to a central cloud.The difference between a fire spotted five minutes after ignition and one discovered an hour later can determine whether a community is evacuated safely or whether hundreds of homes are lost.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.During floods, earlier detection of rising water or damaged infrastructure can mean roads are closed before motorists become trapped. After severe storms, autonomous systems can inspect damaged power lines, bridges and isolated communities long before crews can safely reach them.The same principle applies to trains rolling through northern Ontario. Thousands of kilometres of rail lines pass through remote terrain where a fire or rockslide can put crews at risk and cut communities off from desperately needed supplies and aid.Remote monitoring capabilities can monitor these corridors, including the lines themselves, for obstructions or dangers, flagging them to operators in major cities long before they become an existential threat.The technologies that strengthen national security also strengthen public safety.Canada has promised billions for next-generation defence technology, including drones, sensors and autonomous systems. These are systems designed to monitor remote places, flagging danger before a human ever sees it.That’s exactly what a wildfire early-warning system needs to do. We already know how to build these capabilities, and we are increasingly building them. We just haven’t decided they’re allowed to do more than one job.Eliot Pence is the founder and chief executive of Dominion Dynamics Inc. and co-chair of the Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.