A Canadian first: Rogers fights climate change, wildfires with technology

CITYnews halifax \ By Sonia Aslam

As the country deals with its worst wildfire season on record, a leading Canadian telecom is taking steps to fight climate change.

Rogers announced Thursday it’s investing in new technology to capture smoke before wildfire flames erupt.

“Climate change is a global issue,” said Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri, speaking against the backdrop of tinder-dry mountains in Vancouver this week.

The McDougall Creek wildfire burns on the mountainside above houses in West Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, August 18, 2023. Residents of hard-hit Wilson’s Landing in the West Kelowna, B.C. area were granted a four-hour access window Friday to access their homes to retrieve important items as an area-wide restriction order was extended to Sept. 15. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

He explains this is a three-pronged attack that includes three initiatives: detection, prevention, and management.

Staffieri explains that on top of Rogers cell towers in parts of northern B.C., specifically near Fort St. James, Smithers, and Chetwynd, Artificial Intelligence cameras are being installed that can detect smoke up to 20 kilometres away.

“The second phase is the prevention of the forest fires. We are installing SpaceX sensors in the ground that will detect soil conditions, as well as weather conditions, so that they can predict [in] real-time where these forest fires are likely to erupt, and the last is making sure that our first responders have what they need to stay connected,” said Staffieri.

The company has also donated satellite phones to the BC Search and Rescue Association to help them communicate, in case of emergency.

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Staffieri explains why the company chose B.C. to kickstart this program.

“There’s an immediate need in B.C. With the range of fires, together with the very rugged geography that we have, we’re trying to make sure that the piloting and the testing technology works well in this kind of environment and then we will quickly expand it to the rest of the country.

“Wildfires are an issue for all of Canada and we’re committed to make sure we do the right thing across all the provinces — trying to target the areas that need it most first, and then more broadly.”

At least 50 structures destroyed by West Kelowna wildfire

The data collected will be shared by the BC Wildfire Service and the University of British Columbia to map out in real-time a type of warning system.

“They’ll put it into their AI models so that they start to develop this predictive and detective technology and processes to better respond throughout the wildfire situation. This is going to be an evolution and we’ll continue to get better and better.”

He adds the technology can also be used to detect other natural disasters.

“These sensors were developed not only for forest fires, but with respect to earthquakes and floods.”

“These are sensors that we’ve been working with UBC for several years now … and what we now have is the ability to link those sensors, not only to our cellular network, but to the SpaceX satellite, and that’s what makes this exciting.

“Those sensors will always be on, always provide real-time data and we can track what’s going to happen.”

The ideal goal, Staffieri stresses, is to develop an early warning system. “The primary goal, in addition to preventing [wildfires], is allowing [crews] more time and more tools to be able to get on it early, which is going to be really important.”

The technology is being seen as a game-changer for those involved in this project.

Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri announcing new wildfire technology against the backdrop of tinder, dry mountains in Vancouver this week. (CityNews / Sonia Aslam)

“Early detection of wildfires is critical in preventing their spread to help protect communities and our forests,” said Sonia Kastner, CEO of Pano AI.

“With the reach of the Rogers 5G network, we are proud to work together to deploy our AI-powered cameras to detect, confirm, and pinpoint new fire ignitions within minutes in some of the most remote parts of British Columbia.”

Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, assistant professor in the department of earth, environmental, and geographic sciences at UBC Okanagan.

“These new technologies will expand the reach and capabilities of our existing network of 5G IoT sensors, giving us real-time data that can provide the foundation for an early warning system for wildfires and improve public safety.”

So far this year, nearly 6,000 wildfires were sparked from coast to coast, many of them in B.C., leaving more than 15 million hectares of land scorched.

Rogers is the parent company of this station.