Wildfire emergency updates and support

Accommodations support

Residents affected by wildfire evacuations can call 211 (toll-free; Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 8:00 pm) for help finding short and long-term accommodations (like available dorm rooms at universities or vacant apartments).

Nova Scotia Wildfires Housing Support Program - The Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency is providing housing support for people who lost or experienced significant damage to their homes because of the recent fires in Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne County.

Financial support

$500 per household in emergency funding is available for people required to evacuate because of the recent fires in Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne (funding administered through the Canadian Red Cross; registration is closed).

Emergency Relief Grant for Individuals – Applications are closed. If you experienced an interruption or reduction in income due to the wildfires in Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne County, you can apply for an emergency grant. Volunteer firefighters who assisted with the wildfires and didn’t receive paid voluntary leave from their employer can also apply.

Farmers and agri-food business owners who received a mandatory notice to evacuate because of the recent fires in Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne County can apply for a one-time $2,500 grant (additional information to come).

Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Wildfire Relief Program – Small businesses in the seafood sector who were not able to operate for at least 5 days because of the recent fires in Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne County can apply for a one-time $2,500 grant.

Small Business Wildfire Relief Program – Applications are closed. Small businesses who needed to evacuate or close for at least 5 days because of the recent fires in Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne County can apply for a one-time $2,500 grant.

Mental health resources

Support for mental health and wellbeing is available for children, youth and adults.

Recovery support

Fuel oil tanks

During a wildfire, your home heating oil tank may have been affected by the heat of the fire or damaged by falling debris and firefighting activities. It’s important to take steps to keep you and your family safe.

• Fuel Oil Tanks and Wildfires (PDF)

Property insurance claims

If you need help finding your assessment account number or parcel identification number (PID) for insurance claim purposes, contact Land Programs at 1-800-670-4357 or rglandtitles@novascotia.ca (they can help you free of charge).

Recovery efforts

Find up-to-date information on recovery support at halifax.ca and facebook.com/shelburneemo.

• Employment and Income Resources after an Emergency (PDF)
• Returning Home after Wildfire Evacuation (PDF)
• Returning Home after Wildfire Evacuation: French (PDF)
• Returning Home after Wildfire Evacuation: Impacted Properties (PDF)

Well water testing

If you have a well and live in an area that was evacuated because of wildfires, take steps to make sure your drinking water is safe. Before your test, you need to flush and disinfect your well and wait for 5 days before sampling. You also need to drop off your sample on the same day you took it.

Free well water testing

Government of Nova Scotia is providing free well water testing kits and covering the cost of testing for eligible residents who were impacted by the wildfires. You need to return your sample by Monday, 31 July 2023. After 31 July, residents are responsible for the cost of testing

If you lost your home due to the wildfires, government will reimburse the cost of testing. Whenever you’re ready to test your well, contact drinkingwater@novascotia.ca for instructions and details on the reimbursement process.

In Halifax Regional Municipality, you can get a free well water kit if you live in Glen Arbour, Highland Park, Upper Hammonds Plains, Pockwock, Westwood Hills, Yankeetown, Perry Pond, Maplewood and Haliburton. Haliburton residents need to live on Eleanor Lane, Flat Lake Drive, Edinborough Court to Windsor Drive (including Cambridge Court) or Nottingham Drive to Windsor Drive (including Dover Court).

In Shelburne County, you can get a free well water kit if you received a mandatory notice to evacuate because of the recent fires.

The lab will send you a report with the results of your well water test by email (it takes a few weeks to receive the results). If bacteria are detected, the lab also calls you within a few days of receiving your sample. Use the Drinking Water Interpretation Tool to help understand what the results mean. If you have questions about your results, contact the Department of Environment and Climate Change at 1-877-936-8476.

Well water resources

• Disinfection of Water Wells by Chlorination (PDF)
• Making sure you have Safe Water in an Emergency (PDF)
• Making sure you have Safe Water in an Emergency: French (PDF)
• Test your well water
• Using Well Water after a Wildfire (PDF)
• Using Well Water after a Wildfire: French (PDF)

News releases

Latest news releases and announcements:

State of Emergency

• Renewal of State of Emergency – 21 September 2023 (PDF 205 kB)
• Renewal of State of Emergency – 7 September 2023 (PDF 160 kB)
• Renewal of State of Emergency – 24 August 2023 (PDF 159 kB)
• Renewal of State of Emergency – 10 August 2023 (PDF 136 kB)
• Renewal of State of Emergency – 27 July 2023 (PDF 63 kB)
• Renewal of State of Emergency – 13 July 2023 (PDF 132 kB)
• Renewal of State of Emergency – 29 June 2023 (PDF 113 kB)
• Renewal of State of Emergency – 15 June 2023 (PDF 150 kB)
• Declaration of State of Emergency – 1 June 2023 (PDF 1.6 MB)

Directions

• Directive – 23-001 – 1 June 2023 (PDF 1.8 MB)