April 4, 2016 by Canadian Underwriter
Increased fines for a variety of wildfire-related violation tickets came into force in British Columbia on Friday.
The province’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Resource Operations said in a press release on Monday that anyone caught contravening specified open burning and campfire regulations could now face fines more than three times higher than last year’s penalties.
The regulatory changes were initially announced on March 10 and significantly increase ticket fines for 19 different violations under the Wildfire Act and another seven violations under the Wildfire Regulation.
These changes mean that British Columbia now has some of the highest wildfire-related violation ticket fines in Canada, the ministry reported. For example, the fine for not complying with a fire restriction under the Wildfire Act has tripled from $345 to $1,150. Failing to properly extinguish a burning substance, such as a cigarette, will now cost an offender $575, while failing to assess fire hazard will cost $767.
“The B.C. government has been taking a tougher stand on irresponsible behaviour that contributes to increased wildfire risks, in an effort to protect communities, natural resources and infrastructure from wildfire damage,” the ministry said in the release.
On average, 30 to 40% of wildfires in B.C. each year are caused by people. The 2015 fire season was one of the busiest and most expensive in recent years, with over 283,400 hectares burned and over $278 million spent on wildfire management.
Summary of new Wildfire Act and Wildfire Regulation fines
Wildfire Act violation ticket fines (effective April 1, 2016)
Wildfire Regulation violation ticket fines (effective April 1, 2016)
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