Off-road vehicles are now banned on most Crown land within B.C.’s Coastal Fire Centre as officials move to lower wildfire risk and protect public safety.
The prohibition took effect Monday, August 10, and covers recreational off-road vehicle use across much of the coastal region. The Coastal Fire Centre said the ban responds to the scope and scale of fires currently burning across the province and to elevated fire danger ratings in many southern areas.
Under the order, no off-road vehicle may be operated for recreation on Crown land, and all on-highway vehicles must stay on road surfaces as defined under the Forest Planning and Practices Regulation.
Several areas are exempt. Off-road vehicles remain permitted in parts of the South Island Forest District, including the Regional District of Nanaimo and the Regional District of Alberni-Clayoquot, as well as the North Island Central Coast Forest District, the Campbell River Forest District and the Sunshine Coast Forest District.
The Coastal Fire Centre said the prohibition applies to off-road vehicles as defined under the Off-Road Vehicle Act and its accompanying regulation. That includes all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and off-road side-by-side vehicles.
The ban does not extend to private land or national parks. It also does not apply to emergency response, agriculture, or commercial and industrial operators who use off-road vehicles for farming or business purposes. A map of the affected areas has been released alongside the order.
It is an utter shame for our government to lead us to this situation.
While out-of-control sums of money are being sent abroad to support wars, and while we are committing to the purchase of submarines (???), our beautiful country, our natural resources and our properties burn, because we lack serious firefighting equipment.
Why are we on a self-destructive path? And why do we not address our own backyard first, instead of wasting money on worldwide affairs?