The Town of Banff has been awarded $200,000 through Intact Financial Corporation’s Municipal Climate Resiliency Grants program to fund FireSmart vegetation management around municipal buildings and other critical infrastructure, the town announced on September 29, 2025.
The funding will be used for thinning, removing deadfall and replacing flammable landscaping around sites such as Town Hall, pump houses and lift stations, the Fenlands Recreation Centre and the Wastewater Treatment Plant to reduce ember‑ignition risk during wildfire season.
The grant is part of Intact’s expanded 2025 Municipal Climate Resiliency Grants cohort, which supports 19 projects across Canada and raises the program total to $3.1 million, with awards capped at up to $200,000 per project.
Banff says the work will follow FireSmart principles and be carried out by contracted forestry crews and municipal crews. Material will be chipped and hauled to the Town’s compound and may be used at the Town’s biomass district heating facility or burned under permit where appropriate.
The Intact funding supplements substantial local spending in 2025: Banff council budgeted roughly $1.38 million for wildfire mitigation and launched an accelerated tree‑ and deadfall‑removal program on Feb. 22, 2025 that targeted about 20 hectares and roughly 230 coniferous trees.
“We’re grateful for the financial and strategic support from Intact to enhance our community’s resilience to the ever‑present and increasing risk of wildfire,” said Corrie DiManno, Mayor of Banff. “Intact is making a difference, literally, on the ground in Banff by helping us make small changes that have a big impact on protecting critical infrastructure from being ignited by embers that can blow into town from wildfires kilometres away, as we saw happen in Jasper. Intact is supporting our ongoing municipal efforts while inspiring property owners to do their part in protecting Banff.”
“Banff exemplifies the essence of local leadership in climate resilience, particularly in addressing wildfire risks. Their proactive and practical measures stand as inspiring models for other communities,” said Rosa Nelson, Vice President, Business Development, Western Canada, Intact Financial Corporation.
Intact framed the grants as part of a broader push to help communities adapt to worsening extreme weather. The immediate result in Banff will be more on‑the‑ground vegetation removal and fire‑resistant replanting around municipal sites, and the extra funding should help the town strengthen homeowner engagement and its existing FireSmart incentives ahead of future wildfire seasons.
