HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government is getting a flood of feedback from people expressing confusion and frustration over new wildfire rules that forbid spending time in the woods.
The province has banned hiking, fishing and using vehicles in the woods, as well as any camping outside of designated camp sites. All trail systems through wooded areas are also off limits as the province deals with an extended period of hot and dry weather.
The fine for breaking these rules or disobeying the province's preexisting open fire ban is $25,000.
A spokesperson with the provincial Department of Natural Resources said its staff are "fielding a high volume" of both questions about what is allowed under the restrictions, and permit requests from business that operate in the woods. There are more than 1,000 questions and comments on a government of Nova Scotia Facebook video in which the premier and other officials announced the restrictions that came into effect Tuesday.
“How does hiking in the woods with my dogs come across as a fire hazard?" wrote one commenter.
“Please tell me the difference between a trail and an unpaved road," wrote another.
Among the hundreds of Facebook comments, most appear to be asking for clarification.
“It's still as clear as mud... The proclamation is too vague. I think we need a list of dos and don'ts with precision," wrote one Facebook user.
"I’m confused. We're banned from the woods? Half of us live in the woods," wrote another.
The department spokesperson said government understands the difficulty of the situation and that "it can be a challenge to understand how to apply the rules to you," adding that these are temporary measures needed to protect people and communities.
"We’ve already had more than 100 wildfires this season. Our crews are working day and night to put them out quickly. The number of fires has increased significantly in the last couple of weeks. It is drier now than it was in 2023, and we are at extreme risk of large, uncontrollable wildfires," said Adèle Poirier, spokesperson with Department of Natural Resources.
"Like the fires we are seeing out west, no amount of air or ground resources would help. Only rain would get this kind of fire under control, and there is no rain coming for at least 10 days. Nobody wants a repeat of 2023. That’s why we need everyone to step up and make prevention their top priority," reads the emailed statement.
Julissa Stewart, from the community of Louisdale, N.S., in southern Cape Breton, said these restrictions are a hot topic in her community.
"There's a lot of uproar. There are a lot of good discussion happening... it's definitely a major topic among, I think, the majority of the province right now," she said in an interview Thursday.
Stewart said she's in support of the province's "very reasonable" fire ban, but she believes limiting activity in the woods is a step too far.
"To not even be able to go off the road to take my dog for a walk on the trail, it's upsetting. But more than the upset, I believe this is an extreme overreach," she said.
Jennifer Baltzer, a Wilfrid Laurier University biology professor and Canada Research Chair in forests and global change, said as a Nova Scotian, she can sympathize with the frustration of being told to stay out of the forest.
"I love being in the woods. That why you live in Nova Scotia, right? It's such a beautiful place," she said in an interview Thursday.
And "it's really important for everyone to be doing their part to make sure we minimize the risk to ignition so we can keep these beautiful forests intact."
Baltzer said when considering restrictions needed to prevent wildfires, it's important to remember that Canada has limited wildfire-fighting resources that are shared nationwide.
"Even though there's not a lot of wildfire right now in Nova Scotia, there's a lot wildfire across the country," she said, and hot and dry conditions in Nova Scotia make it extremely vulnerable to forest fires right now.
"You have a landscape that is primed to burn," she said, adding that with Nova Scotia's dried-out trees, vegetation and soil, a fire are ideal fuel for a blaze to burn quickly.
"So then if you have an ignition source — you're much more likely to have a fire taking off and going," she said. The province appears to be working to limit all ignitions sources.
"And around communities, the main ignition source is people," she said, which could be in the form of a cigarette butt or sparks from an ATV or other outdoors equipment.
"And from a regulation perspective, they (government) can't anticipate exactly what one individual is going to do as they're out on a trail with their dog. They're really trying to restrict any possibility of additional ignition," she said.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, where out-of-control blazes have destroyed buildings and forced hundreds from their homes, Premier John Hogan announced that he's upped the fine for breaking the fire ban to $50,000.
However, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are still allowed to spend time in the woods.
“We had a discussion on how to show this is serious and we mean business and we’re focused on people who, if they violate regulations, will pay the price,” Hogan said Thursday.
The premier said he prefers an approach that targets people who are breaking provincial regulations rather than preventing all citizens from entering forested areas.
“There certainly has been conversations here yesterday and throughout the country about banning other situations like hiking in the woods. I think at this time the right thing to do is protect the innocent people … who safely enjoy the outdoors in Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s a big part of our culture and way of life in the summer and the winter and we feel that we should hold the people who reckless and irresponsible to account at this time. So, that’s a decision we’ve made."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2025.
Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
