06/03/2026
Highlights of amendments to the Forestry Act
- Clarify offences that cover a variety of situations, such as lighting an open fire when the Fire Weather Index is very high or extreme, leaving a fire unattended, leaving an area before a fire is completely extinguished, or discharging fireworks or a sky lantern when the Fire Weather Index is high, very high or extreme.
- Consolidate all fire-related penalties to the Forest Fire Offences and Penalty Regulations. This amendment is critical to ensure amendments can be made during emergencies if flexibility is required.
- Expand fire-related offences to include reckless or negligent conduct, in addition to deliberate acts, to help deter unlawful or unsafe activity.
- Expand the areas of the province for which a burn permit is required during Forest Fire Season to include all land that contains flammable vegetation.
- Broaden ministerial authority to declare restricted travel areas that include municipal, provincial and private campgrounds to ensure safety and consistency when restricting travel in an area due to forest conditions.
- Clarify and expand the authority of forestry officials, including authority to order individuals to leave an area if required due to fire control or suppression efforts or personal safety concerns. This includes creating an offence related to a person not complying with the order.
is acting on its commitment to make communities safer by modernizing and strengthening the legislation that protects residents, communities and forest resources from wildfires.
Legislative amendments to the Forestry Act are designed to modernize, clarify and strengthen the tools that regulate burning during Forest Fire Season.
Read more: www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2026/fal/0603n01/
