The NDP is questioning the manner in which the provincial government provides updates about the wildfire situation.

St. John’s East-Quidi Vidi MHA Sheilagh O’Leary says government members, including the premier, “refuse to speak directly with the people of the province” and are instead directing people to social media posts and written statements for important information pertaining to wildfires.

She uses the fireworks bans on Canada Day as an example.

She notes that there was a news release sent out about the umbrella fire ban in Labrador, but people in her district were expected to find information via social media “instead of government being clear about what rules are being put in place.”

O’Leary believes making sure residents understand the restrictions ahead of multiple scheduled fireworks events should have been a top priority.

The provincial wildfire operations dashboard breaks warning levels down into numerous regions. On the island, there are 17 regions listed on the map, and there are nine in Labrador.

Premier Tony Wakeham, while doing an interview on a separate topic, did answer questions on the wildfires from VOCM News Tuesday afternoon.