BC has introduced new fines and tougher rules to reduce wildfire risk

After last summers unprecedented wildfire season, the provincial government has come out with some tougher rules and new fines to hopefully reduce the risk of wildfire this season.

Effective immediately, some wildfire-related penalties have been bumped up to discourage irresponsible off-road vehicle use.

Three fines that fall under the Wildfire Act have increased from $767 to $1,150, including failing to comply with restricted area requirements, failure to comply with an order to leave a specified area, and failing to comply with an order restricting an activity or use.

Under the new rules, all off-road vehicles are now required to have a spark arrestor installed when operating on Crown land.

An operator could receive a violation ticket fine of $460 or a penalty of up to $10,000 if an ORV without a spark arrestor is found operating at time or place where there is a risk of wildfire

If a wildfire starts, the operator would face a ticket fine of $575, a penalty of $10,000, or a court fine of up to $1,000,000 and/or up to three years in jail. The person responsible could also be ordered to pay for the costs of firefighting.

The Wildfire Regulation has been amended to add other increased or additional fines for infractions, including a new penalty of up to $100,000 for violations related to utility transmission operations.

The Ministry says an example would be when a wildfire is started by a downed power line, or when vegetation near a utility line has not been adequately maintained and a tree falls on an energized line.

A penalty is also now in place for not complying with a stop-work order to deal with people who continue to engage in high-risk activity. They could now also face a penalty of up to $10,000.