Government moves to reduce wildfire risks
After a record-setting forest fire season in 2017 – the BC government is hiking some wildfire-related fines.
Effective immediately, some penalties have been hiked up to $100,000, to assist with fire prevention and discourage irresponsible off-road vehicle use.
All off-road vehicles will also require "spark arrestors" – a small screen in the exhaust system to stop sparks or other exhaust residue from exiting the tailpipe – many new ORV's already have them.
A contravention could result in a violation ticket fine of $460 or an administrative monetary penalty of up to $10,000 if an ORV without a spark arrestor is operating at a time or place where there is a risk of a wildfire starting
If a wildfire starts, the operator could receive a $575 ticket, an administrative fine up $10,000, or a court fine up to $1-million and/or three years in jail.
The person responsible could also be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
You can find more information at BC Gov News
