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ARTICLE · 07 AUGUST 2019

Don't Get Burned – Cost Recovery, Fines And Potential Jail Time For Causing Wildfires

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It is now summer in Western Canada, and the weather will no doubt soon turn hot and dry.

CanadaEnvironment
Ryan Morasiewicz
Ryan Morasiewicz
Alizeh Virani
Alizeh Virani
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It is now summer in Western Canada, and the weather will no doubt soon turn hot and dry. Large and devastating wildfires have become the new normal, with their smoke choking our lungs and casting the midday in an eerie orange glow.

In British Columbia, the last two summers have seen an average of more than 1.2 million hectares burned, and involved firefighting costs of $600-650 million.

Human-caused wildfires (generally between 30-40% of the total number in BC) can be the result of industrial uses of the forest/grasslands or caused by irresponsible recreationalists. Industrial use of forests and grasslands during high fire hazards is highly regulated, and recreationalists are subject to fire restrictions or bans and even access restrictions during particularly extreme conditions.

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