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The toolkit grew out of the Wildfire Journalism Bootcamp, held June 16–18, 2025, on the traditional territory of the Secwépemc Peoples. Convened by MWI in partnership with McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy and the University of British Columbia Centre for Wildfire Co-Existence, with support from the Max Bell Foundation, the three-day gathering brought together 50 journalists, wildfire practitioners, Indigenous Firekeepers, scientists, and community leaders from across Canada to build trust, share knowledge, and co-create practical tools for nuanced, trauma-aware wildfire coverage.

“This toolkit could not be more timely,” said Yolanda Clatworthy, Interim Director of the Mitigating Wildfire Initiative. “With wildfires continuing to test communities, responders, and reporters alike, journalists play a critical role in shaping how we understand risk, resilience, and responsibility for one of the defining issues of our time. By equipping the media with deeper context, practical strategies, and diverse perspectives, we can honour the experiences of those on the frontlines and in affected communities — and move the conversation beyond crisis headlines toward the long-term solutions urgently needed from coast to coast to coast.”

The toolkit is a collective, co-created offering from the 50 folks who gathered at the bootcamp for other journalists across the nation, aiming to support them in telling this critically important story. It offers seven key pathways for stronger coverage, from treating wildfire as a year-round story and centring underrepresented voices to improving access between media and agencies and adopting trauma-aware reporting practices. It also includes a ready-to-use “wildfire story bank” to support proactive, solutions-focused reporting. 

National Observer reporter Marc Fawcett-Atkinson shared the importance of the toolkit: “As the wildfire crisis deepens, wildfire reporting is engulfing nearly every reporter’s beat. This toolkit will prove invaluable in helping me and others ensure our coverage is accurate, comprehensive, and contributes to broader conversations about how fire will fit into Canada’s future.”