The RM of Wallace-Woodworth, considering a report from Fire Chief Brad Yochim, voted to levy a $1,000 fine on three ratepayers who lit fires despite the Burning Ban in effect for part of May.
This was not without debate at the public council meeting of May 24.
Burning fall crop residue in the spring before seeding is a common agricultural practice. Taking agriculture’s point of view, Reeve Denis Carter pointed out these ratepayers’ already contribute to the RM.
Councillor Val Caldwell, part of a farm family near Kenton, said there was no excuse for intentional burning during the ban, a view that had heads nodding around the council table.
“I don’t know what else our staff could have done to get the information out there,” she said, pointing out the newspaper, radio and web-based advertising.
The premise behind a burning ban is safety. Chief Yochim said in an interview, “We put fire bans on when conditions are so dry, a small fire can turn into a catastrophic fire in a very short period of time.”
Yochim spoke of safety for ratepayers.
“I’ve seen fires where farmers have tried to burn their field off and ended up burning their neighbour’s house down. That’s the kind of thing we’re trying to avoid.”
Firefighting is a “risky business” for firefighters as well. Yochim says their equipment protects them to a degree, but “that gear will still burn.”
The cost to answer a grass fire involves sending at least three trucks and firefighters who are paid for a minimum two hours. Not including wear and tear on trucks, costs can quickly surpass $500, and mount up to around $1,500.
Billing for costs
“We had a fire caused by a train, near Hargrave, so we had both Stations out there – 16 firefighters, six trucks. We billed CP Rail for that, under the Wild Fires Act. That bill was $6,600.”
Yochim pointed out that the RM could have charged ratepayers who burned during the ban for the cost of WDFD extinguishing those fires. They didn’t.
In the meeting, Councillor Clayton Canart pointed out, “The concerning part, when you read Brad’s email that he sent with the report, the people who were caught said they knew there was a burning ban, but they burned anyway. So if you’re not going to back it up with whatever we said the fines are going to be, then we might as well scrap the burning ban by-law.”
In Kenton area there have been a number of ditch fires. Caldwell said, “There was none that [the Kenton fire chief] indicated was started by a ratepayer.”
According to the fire report some ratepayers have offended for a second year. Stambuski stated, “I think we need to send a message....”
Light snow cover over winter, no rain and mid-May soaring temperatures triggered burning bans in many municipalities including the RM of Wallace-Woodworth.
The first significant rainfall saw the Level 2 Burning Ban in Wallace-Woodworth lifted on Friday, May 25.
