Wildfire Fine Set Permanently at $25,000

Nova Scotians are reminded to follow the daily burn restrictions during wildfire season or face a $25,000 fine.

That amount was an interim penalty set after damaging wildfires in 2023 and renewed in 2024. The government has now made it permanent in provincial regulations, effective today, May 2.

“Nova Scotians saw the devastation of wildfires first-hand in 2023. We imposed the $25,000 fine through temporary means to show we mean business, and it’s working – we had the quietest wildfire season on record last year,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources. “Now we’ve made that fine permanent in the regulations to keep signalling how serious we are. Wildfire prevention is everyone’s responsibility, and I ask all Nova Scotians to be safe and take care of each other by following the rules.”

From March 15 to October 15, daily burn restrictions are in place to help prevent wildfires. Burning is not permitted anywhere in the province between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. because that is often when the risk of wildfires is greatest. The BurnSafe map remains red during those hours every day.

Each day at 2 p.m., the map is updated to show the daily restrictions:

• red means burning is not permitted that day
• yellow means burning is permitted after 7 p.m.
• green means burning is permitted after 2 p.m.

People can check daily burn restrictions via the online BurnSafe map at https://novascotia.ca/burnsafe/ or by calling 1-855-564-2876 (BURN). They also need to check municipal bylaws; those take precedence when they are stricter than the provincial restrictions.

Quick Facts:

• the $25,000 fine was imposed through proclamations for most of the 2023 and 2024 wildfire seasons
• with a victim fine surcharge and court costs, the total fine is $28,872.50
• previously, the fines ranged from $180 to $237.50
• fines for violations of the Forests Act are outlined in the Summary Offence Tickets Regulations
• industrial burning, such as clearing agricultural land or burning brush piles of certain sizes, requires a permit from the Department of Natural Resources

Additional Resources:

The regulations will be updated today at: https://novascotia.ca/just/regulations/rxam-z.htm#sumpr

Forests Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/forests.pdf

News release – Public Safety, Renewable Energy Legislation Advances Nova Scotia Opportunities: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/09/10/public-safety-renewable-energy-legislation-advances-nova-scotia-opportunities

News release – Large Increase in Fine for Illegal Burning During Wildfire Season: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/05/16/large-increase-fine-illegal-burning-during-wildfire-season

News release – Increased Fine for Breaking Burn Ban: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2023/05/31/increased-fine-breaking-burn-ban