Okanagan wildfires show why Canada cannot afford cuts to public service expertise: PIPSC

SUMMERLAND, BC, Sept. 17, 2026 /CNW/ -- The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) President Sean O'Reilly toured Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Summerland Research and Development Centre today, a federal research facility evacuated during this summer's wildfires and met with PIPSC members who lived through the crisis. Some were forced to evacuate Summerland, while others worked through weeks of smoke and disruption while worrying about their homes, families and communities.

"Across the Okanagan, our members were evacuating their homes, worrying about their families and continuing to serve Canadians while their own communities were in crisis," said PIPSC President Sean O'Reilly. "Their experience shows exactly why Canada needs more public service capacity, not less."

PIPSC is calling on the federal government to invest in the scientific expertise and public service capacity Canadians rely on to understand risks, prepare for emergencies and respond when disasters strike.

Thirty-five PIPSC members are employed at the centre. Their work includes studying how heat and water affect fruit crops, developing more water-efficient agricultural practices, and helping agriculture adapt to a changing climate.

That work is part of a much larger network of public service expertise that helps Canadians understand risk, prepare for emergencies and build more resilient communities. PIPSC has repeatedly warned that workforce reductions at science-based departments are weakening Canada's ability to prevent disasters, respond to emergencies and protect public safety.

"Public service experts are working long before the first evacuation order is issued, helping Canada understand risks, prepare communities and reduce the impact of emergencies," said O'Reilly. "That is exactly the kind of capacity Canada needs to strengthen, not cut ."

With the federal government preparing its next budget, PIPSC is calling on the government to invest in the scientific, technical and institutional capacity Canada needs to manage growing climate, public-health, cybersecurity and other risks, rather than treating public service expertise simply as a cost to be reduced.

"Canada's next budget is a chance to invest in the public services that make communities safer and more resilient," said O'Reilly. "We cannot cut our way to preparedness."

PIPSC is a Canadian union representing over 80,000 public-sector professionals across the country, most of them employed by the federal government. Follow us on Facebook, on Bluesky and on Instagram.

SOURCE Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)

For more information: PIPSC Media Relations, [email protected]