Okanagan mayors call for stronger penalties for people who start wildfires or ignore fire bans
Local leaders are seeking tougher penalties after citing 46% of wildfires since 2021 as human-caused, officials said.
- On Monday, Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas announced a regional push for harsher penalties against individuals who deliberately or negligently cause wildfires, seeking to protect communities from preventable damage.
- Human-Caused incidents account for 40 per cent of wildfires in the Province, with Dyas expressing concern that these events are preventable rather than inevitable accidents.
- Current laws under the Wildfire Act impose administrative fines up to $10,000 and court-conviction fines up to $100,000, while recent cases in Kelowna Provincial Court saw a $5,000 fine for drone interference and a jail sentence for arson.
- Elected leaders including Westbank First Nation Chief Robert Louie and Loyal Wooldridge are engaging the Province's Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene, Attorney General Niki Sharma, and Federal Minister Sean Fraser to discuss stiffer regulations.
- Regional leaders hope increasing consequences will better reflect the seriousness of wildfire impacts and deter "preventable" human-caused fires, though the exact nature of "greater penalties" remains undefined.
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Central Okanagan leaders seek 'greater penalties' for wildfire starters
Elected officials in the Central Okanagan are seeking harsher penalties for people who cause wildfires. During a council meeting on Monday, Aug. 17, Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas announced that he, and other local government leaders, are advocating to B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, Kelly Greene, for those who deliberately and negligently cause wildfires. “We will be advocating for the measures needed to help protect our co…
Okanagan mayors call for stronger penalties for people who start wildfires or ignore fire bans
The City of Kelowna is helping to lead a regional push for harsher penalties for individuals who start wildfires or ignore campfire or fire bans. At the close of Monday's Kelowna city council meeting, Mayor Tom Dyas said regional mayors along with regional board chair Loyal Wooldridge and Westbank F...
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