Addressing the new normal

VICTORIA — An independent review of British Columbia’s response to last year’s wildfires and flooding recommends fighting fire with fire to protect communities and future forests. The report, “Addressing the New Normal: 21st Century Disaster Management in B.C.,” makes 108 recommendations and calls for an overhaul of disaster response practices. …Abbott said after releasing the report Thursday that he came to endorse the practice of prescribed burns as a fire prevention tool after meeting with local residents, Indigenous leaders, academics and government experts during public and private meetings for the review. He said when he was B.C.’s health minister eight years ago, he would have rejected prescribed burns of forest lands because of the health hazard caused by the smoke.