The province of Nova Scotia, Canada, is facing some driving force called “hard” restrictions as it tries to limit wildfire risks under extremely dry conditions.
Last week, Nova Scotia banned all hiking, fishing and using vehicles such as forested ATVs, and rule breakers face a fine of $25,000 ($18,000). A tip line has been set up to report violations.
The Canadian Constitution Foundation is a nonprofit that defends the country’s charter rights, calling the ban a dangerous example of “securityism” and spreading authoritarianism”.
Tens of thousands of residents in eastern Canada are on evacuation alerts as the country’s second worst wildfire season.
Nova Scotia Prime Minister Tim Houston said human activities are responsible for almost all wildfires in the Atlantic province – official statistics from 2009 say 97% of spirits are caused by humans.
On Wednesday, he defended the ban announced last week, saying the province was a “tinder box” that had no rainfall since June.
“I think people want to hike or want to walk in the woods with their dogs,” Houston said in a wildfire update with officials.
“But how do you want to be trapped in the woods when there is a fire around you?”
He said the restrictions will be relaxed once enough rainfall is reduced to mitigate the risk.
He added: “At the same time, go to the beach.”
“Of course, I hope every one of them is fully prosecuted and collected,” the Prime Minister said. “So far, that’s too serious.”
Houston confirmed that 12 people have been punished for violating the ban so far.
One of them is soldier Jeff Avely.
On Friday, Mr Evely posted a video on Facebook saying he went to the Ministry of Natural Resources office and said he wanted to challenge the ban in court, “the only way I do this is to get a fine.”
“I’m not trying to make trouble for you.”
He was later seen walking into the woods and then returning to the office and fined $28,872.50.
Others defend these restrictions as necessary precautions, as the province averages two fires per day.
Stephen Maher, a political journalist living in rural Nova Scotia, in a Opinion Articles For global mailing newspapers, his running in the woods rarely triggers fires.
“But the fire is caused mainly by dim and careless people, and there is no way to separate them from their careful neighbors, so the ban is necessary,” he added.
In another Blog PostsFred Delorey, a former Conservative campaign manager, said that in view of the lack of rain, “I didn’t complain when the provincial government announced that traveling in the woods was temporarily banned due to extreme fire risks. I exhale.”
Officials fear the repetition of 2023 is the worst fire season ever in Canada and Nova Scotia, when 220 fires were leveled on 25,000 hectares of land in the province.
The capital of New Brunswick has adopted similar restrictions, prohibiting the use of public land.
Newfoundland and Labrador banned off off-road vehicles in forested areas on Wednesday until at least next week. It has brought fines up to $150,000 for violations of the ban.
Canada’s wildfire season in 2025 is the second worst after 2023.
Fires occur naturally in many parts of the world, and it is difficult to know whether climate change has caused or worsened specific wildfires, as other factors are also important.
According to the UN Intergovernmental Group on Climate Change, climate change makes wildfires more likely to spread the weather conditions required.
According to the Canadian Inter-Agency Forest Fire Centre, more than 470 fires are currently “out of control”.
One is in the western suburbs of Halifax, the largest city in Nova Scotia, which continues to disappear.
In New Brunswick, Prime Minister Susan Holt called it “a story of two fires.”
She said the crew made progress on a fire but had less success in a fire near the Miramichi community.
Military and Coast Guard forces were deployed in Newfoundland and Labrador, while the worst fires were concentrated in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Three other provinces in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario have also seen fire activity well above their 25-year average.
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A wellness enthusiast and certified nutrition advisor, Meera covers everything from healthy living tips to medical breakthroughs. Her articles aim to inform and inspire readers to live better every day.
