Past Events

This page contains descriptions of past events that prompted the Government Operations Centre (GOC) to activate.

Wildfires: 2024

The 2024 wildfire season was Canada’s second worst season for number of hectares burned. The GOC escalated to Level 3 (coordination of federal response) in July and de-escalated completely at the end of September.

Over the season, there were 5,676 wildfires, burning more than 5.37M hectares of land across Canada. On average, the past decade has seen 3.9M hectares burned yearly, even after the devastating 2023 wildfire season. There were six requests for federal assistance, 792 international firefighting resources came from six countries, and 1,592 Canadian firefighters worked across provinces and territories to respond to the fires. Sadly, the wildfires resulted in the tragic death of two firefighters. Throughout the summer, over 44,000 Canadians were evacuated, and in some cases, very urgently, and despite this, there were no civilian deaths or serious injuries.

Key events included the evacuation of Port-Cartier Institution (a maximum-security prison in Quebec) in June, the devastation in Jasper National Park and Town of Jasper in July, and the airlift of the Bunibonibee Cree First Nation in northern Manitoba in August.

Canadians' safety was protected thanks to a whole-of-government collaborative approach, and the tireless work of the employees, of many partners, including but not limited to, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces, Parks Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Indigenous Services Canada, Transport Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Correctional Services Canada.

Wildfires: 2023

In 2023, the Government Operations Centre (GOC) responded to Canada's worst wildfire season in recorded history. The GOC escalated to Level 3 (coordination of federal response) in May, de-escalated to Level 1 (enhanced reporting) in September, and the reporting team deactivated completely in October.

The season saw over 15M hectares burned, 18 requests for federal assistance and support from 13 international organizations. Over 16,000 firefighters helped fight those wildfires, assisted by over 5,500 international firefighters. GOC officials were embedded within the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) headquarters throughout the summer and were also on the ground supporting Northwest Territories officials through the challenge of evacuating Yellowknife in August. The wildfires over the summer resulted in the tragic deaths of eight firefighters and over 230,000 people were evacuated from their homes. These are stark reminders of the human cost to an environmental disaster.

Responding to this unprecedented season was a whole-of-government collaborative effort and included tireless work by many partners, including but not limited to, the CIFFC, Natural Resources Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Indigenous Services Canada, Transport Canada, Parks Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Hurricane Fiona: 2022

Through the weekend of September 24-25, 2022, Hurricane Fiona had a significant impact across Canada's Atlantic provinces and eastern Quebec.

The GOC set up an event team and worked with federal departments and all orders of government to support preparedness for and coordinate the federal response to its impact.

The GOC coordinated 10 requests for federal assistance from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, resulting in federal support being provided by the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada through the National Aerial Surveillance Program.

The GOC continued to monitor the aftermath of the storm, ready to coordinate additional federal support should the affected provinces request it.

See related news releases:

Wildfires: 2022

In response to wildfires, specifically wildland urban interface fires, across the country, the GOC works with the

as well as provinces and territories to coordinate the Government of Canada's activity.

The GOC provides risk assessments and situational reports to our partners and stakeholders and then manages requests for federal assistance from our provincial and territorial partners.

COVID-19: 2020-2022

Since the start of the pandemic, the GOC coordinated Government of Canada activity in support of the Public Health Agency of Canada and its role as the federal government lead for the response to COVID-19.

In January 2020, before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the Government Operations Centre was already in action coordinating federal activity to repatriate Canadians from Wuhan, China, and elsewhere.

Since January 2020, departments and agencies across the federal government received requests for federal assistance in support of the COVID response. Public Safety Canada, through the GOC, has administered more than 150 such requests from federal, provincial and territorial orders of government and in collaboration with responding departments such as National Defence, Indigenous Services Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces and non-governmental partners such as the Canadian Red Cross.

The GOC gradually de-escalated the event team assigned to COVID 19 from Level 3 to Level 2 in May 2022, and to Level 1 in November 2022, and continues at this level of enhanced reporting.

Through to the fall and winter of 2022-2023, the pandemic is still affecting Canadians, and the GOC is prepared to re-activate if called upon.

Responding to extreme flooding in BC: 2021

The GOC coordinated the federal response to extreme flooding in south-central British Columbia (BC). Significant rainfall from an atmospheric river started on November 14, 2021, causing widespread flooding, mud slides, significant damage to critical infrastructure and, sadly, fatalities. Over 7500 people had to be evacuated and approximately 50 First Nations communities were affected. Supply chain disruptions added to the hardship and along with the impact to many farms in the region, most BC residents have felt the consequences. Successive weather systems, including heavy rains, impacted BC and hamper recovery efforts.

On November 16, the Province submitted a request for federal assistance (RFA) seeking immediate supply chain supports to isolated individuals and communities, as well as help to airlift in supplies for people sheltering in place and to evacuate the vulnerable population.

The Government of Canada, worked closely with the Province, mobilized support from across the federal family, including the Canadian Armed Forces, Indigenous Services, Transport, Environment and Climate Change, Agriculture, Canadian Food Inspection, and Public Health. Many more departments and agencies were involved as the situation evolved.

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