We have to give the B.C. Liberal government credit for legislation proposed in the legislature on March 10 that should discourage behaviour that contributes to increased wildfire risks.
In turn, the proposed legislative amendments introduced as part of the Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Statutes Amendment Act (Bill 12) will help protect communities, natural resources and infrastructure damage from wildfires.
Bill 12 will include provisions aimed specifically at people who interfere with firefighting efforts in British Columbia.
In fact, it was public interference during a wildfire, which threatened the Town of Oliver, last year that forced the provincial government’s hands to make some necessary changes.
The pilot of a drone, which was hovering over a wildfire near Oliver and taking photos of the firefighting efforts, aerial attacks and the wildfire itself, grounded planes for hours because it was too dangerous for the pilots to fly in the area.
Meanwhile, the wildlife was threatening homes, vineyards and a school.
It has been reported that boaters and canoeist sometimes get in the way of water bombers scooping water from nearby lakes.
Public Safety Minister Mike Morris reviewed the 2015 wildfire season, put a study together and shared it with his provincial government colleagues.
Noting wildfire numbers have been increasing year after year, Morris said, “We needed to do something drastic that would catch the attention of people who frequent the outdoors and try and reduce the number of human-caused fires.”
The government had to clamp down on this kind of interference. In fact, Victoria has clarified that “interference” doesn’t have to be intentional to constitute a contravention of the Wildlife Act.
The proposed amendments would see fines increasing by more than 300 per cent for failing to comply to fire restrictions under the Wildfire Act.
The 2015 wildfire season was one of the most expensive in recent years and it saw provincial taxpayers paying for more than $278 million on wildfire management.
However, Morris noted it’s not just the cost of fighting fires that has the government concerned.
He said millions of cubic metres of wood are lost every year in wildfires, and it has a significant impact on not only industry, but also on revenue coming into government.
Human-caused wildfires, which average between 30 and 40 per cent every year, cost hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
Taxpayers and the provincial government cannot afford to cough up that kind of money year after year to pay outdoor recreationalists’ foolishness.
More than 280,000 hectares of BC Forests burned last year and it has a large economic impact on jobs, businesses and communities.
