In the heart of B.C.’s wildfire crisis

As wildfires continue to burn out of control in B.C., guest host Chris Walker follows Conservative MP Dan Albas, whose riding includes the evacuated town of Summerland, as he travels the backroads to Penticton to where many of his constituents have fled. In this documentary, Walker speaks to Albas and neighbouring MP, Helena Konanz, about the emergency response; to volunteers and evacuees about what they have lost; and to B.C. Premier David Eby about climate change and forest management. 

And, long before the wildfires made working outside difficult, the farmers of the Okanagan Valley were already having a worrying summer, as drought conditions have meant severe water rationing. In the next in our summer series on food security, The House travels to Coldstream, B.C. to meet vegetable farmer Rochelle Zelaney, as well as water scientist and former executive director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board Anna, Warwick Sears, to discuss farming in drought conditions and whether Canada’s food security will suffer.

Plus, in just a few days Canadians will find out if Trump will go ahead with imposing a crushing 50 per cent tariff on hundreds of Canadian goods. For B.C.'s lumber industry, that outcome could be fatal. Ashlee Cribb, CEO of Gorman Bros. in West Kelowna, explains the stakes for her company – and the community.

This episode features the voices of:

• Dan Albas, Conservative MP for Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna
• Helena Konanz, Conservative MP for Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay
• David Eby, Premier of B.C.
• Doug Holmes, mayor of Summerland, B.C.
• Rachelle Zelaney, co-owner of Zelaney Farms
• Anna Warwick Sears, director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board
• Ashlee Cribb, CEO of Gorman Bros.