TRU to bring virtual wildfire network together at national conference
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) will welcome wildfire researchers, fire agencies and community partners from across Canada this fall for the inaugural gathering of the Wildfire Resilience Consortium of Canada (WRCC).
The three-day event runs Oct. 7 to 9, 2025, at the TRU Conference Centre in Kamloops. It will bring together participants from across the country who are advancing wildfire science, communications and resilience planning.
The WRCC operates as a national virtual network, and TRU Wildfire, in partnership with the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), is a founding partner and one of five board members. Hosting the inaugural gathering reinforces the university’s growing role in wildfire research and resilience work. TRU also sees the event as an opportunity to showcase its expertise and position Kamloops as a hub for wildfire knowledge and collaboration.
“Hosting the inaugural WRCC gathering is an important opportunity for TRU to contribute to a national conversation about wildfire resilience. By welcoming researchers, agencies and community partners from across the country, we are reinforcing TRU Wildfire’s role as a hub for wildfire research and showing how knowledge created here in Kamloops can benefit all Canadians,” says Shannon Wagner, TRU’s interim provost and vice-president academic.
The conference will feature presentations, workshops and networking sessions designed to highlight current research projects. With more than 200 attendees, the conference is full for in-person participation. However, virtual participation is unlimited, making it possible for anyone in Canada with an interest in wildfire resilience to join.
The WRCC recently appointed its first executive director, Garnet Mierau, who began in September. Mierau is based in Kamloops and brings experience from his previous role leading Forest Professionals BC along with several other fire-related positions.
“We’re taking a whole-of-society approach and our goal is not just to bring people together for two days, but to launch collaborations that will continue long after the event,” says Mierau. “The WRCC is about ensuring that Canada’s investments between wildfire research and practitioners are coordinated, effective and serve the needs of communities on the ground.”
An opening evening event on Oct. 7 will offer a welcome to Kamloops and to the ancestral territory of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. TRU will host the evening in partnership with the BC Wildfire Service and local partners.
For more information on the WRCC and the Building Foundational Knowledge Gathering, visit wrcc-crffc.com.