Wildfire season: feds offering free document replacements

The federal government is promising to replace some official documents free of charge for Canadians impacted by this year’s wildfire season.

From now until Nov. 30, 2024, Canadian citizens and permanent residents “directly affected” by wildfires can access free replacement permanent resident cards, citizenship certificates, passports, “and other travel documents that are lost, damaged, destroyed or inaccessible due to wildfires,” according to a press release.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller wrote in the release Monday that the measure will “simplify the process” for those who have lost important official documents due to wildfires.

“This will give people the time they need to determine which documents need to be replaced or to sort out temporary status issues, while focusing on their families, their homes and their communities,” the release states.

The release also states some people with employer-specific work permits can “transition to an open work permit.”

The federal government is also implementing additional measures related to international students and temporary foreign workers, affected by wildfires, whose status will expire before the Nov. 30 deadline.

The typical cost to replace these documents varies, but can cost hundreds of dollars if someone is looking to replace several at once.

Experts have long been warning that climate change is highly likely to increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires, and last year’s wildfire season was the most destructive ever recorded in Canadian history.

Those affected by last year’s wildfires can also apply for retroactive refunds to replace any relevant documents they may have lost, according to the federal government.