Nova Scotia has issued more than $460K in burn ban fines, fees
Agencies in Nova Scotia have issued 16 tickets worth more than $25,000 each to people allegedly violating daily burn restrictions this year in what has so far proven to be a less active wildfire season than 2023.
The Department of Natural Resources said its conservation officers have issued 14 tickets since the fine amount was increased on May 16 in an effort to prevent wildfires. Nova Scotia RCMP said its officers have issued two tickets worth $25,000 each.
A victim surcharge and HST also apply to the fine, bringing the total to $28,872.50. That amounts to more than $460,000 in fines and fees being issued so far this year.
Jason Cleaves, acting director of DNR’s conservation officer service, said the department has been taking a zero-tolerance approach to illegal burns given the majority of wildfires are caused by people.
“As we’ve seen in the past year, illegal fires can be the cause of a uncontrollable wildfire,” Cleaves said in a recent interview. “Wildfires have caused a lot of destruction across the province so it’s a very firm approach on enforcing the regulations.”
Last year was Nova Scotia’s most devastating wildfire season on record. Two wildfires broke out late last May at almost the same time in the Upper Tantallon and Shelburne County areas, destroying more than 200 homes. In total, 25,093 hectares of land was burned across the province in 2023.
A 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with the Shelburne County wildfire — the largest in the province’s history. Dalton Clark Stewart of Villagedale, N.S., has pleaded not guilty.
Under the provincial Forests Act, conservation officers with DNR, RCMP and local police forces all have the authority to enforce violations of the Forests Act.
CBC News contacted all police departments in Nova Scotia to ask if they have issued any tickets, and heard back from seven. None of those seven had issued any tickets.
But Cleaves said there are cases in which a local police force responding to an illegal burn would refer the case to DNR, who would then decide if a ticket should be issued.
In the year since wildfires burned through Shelburne County and parts of Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains, N.S., a lot of work has been done to understand how emergency management teams responded. Aly Thomson explains the biggest changes implemented by both the province and the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Tickets are often issued on the spot, but there are times that staff will follow up days afterward if staff aren’t available at the time, given there is a two-year statute of limitations under the Forests Act, he said.
“We’ll visit the site, see where the fire was actually burning, interview homeowners or landowners or other people, witnesses who might have been present, including whoever reported fire,” said Cleaves, saying a ticket can then be issued if the investigation points to an illegal burn.
DNR said the department issued 42 fines between March 15 and July 3, which includes the basic fine of $237.50, before it was increased. Fines collected by the department are directed back to the provincial government.
Department spokesperson Patricia Jreige said 2024 has so far been a less active wildfire season than last year, due in part to wetter conditions earlier in the season.
“And hopefully in part due to raised awareness after last year’s devastating wildfires,” said Jreige in an email.
There were 58 wildfires in the province as of June 30, compared to 208 wildfires during the same period last year.
“This doesn’t mean that people can ease up on wildfire prevention measures,” added Jreige, directing people to check the daily burn restrictions, which are updated daily at 2 p.m. local time.
“We’ve already had some periods of very warm, dry weather and we don’t want a repeat of the unprecedented wildfires we had last year.”
The province has said the larger fine will be in place until the end of wildfire season, but it may consider reinstating the original fine amount “if conditions significantly reduce the risk of wildfires.”
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