Manitoba conservation officers are reporting that an individual was recently arrested and charged, under The Wildfires Act for entering a designated area during a closed period without a travel permit.
Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development advises that On July 15, a conservation officer and park patrol officer from the Lac du Bonnet district responded to a tip that an individual was kayaking on Gem Lake in Nopiming Provincial Park at a time when all backcountry travel was prohibited due to the extremely high fire risk.
It was reported that the individual had been advised of these restrictions the day before, but ignored multiple road closed signs and returned to the area after staff from the Manitoba Wildfire Service left the Gem Lake staging area.
Officers located the man at the Gem Lake trailhead and questioned his intentions. The individual became hostile towards the officers and refused to cooperate. The individual was then arrested and charged under The Wildfires Act for entering a designated area during a closed period without a travel permit and obstructing an officer. As a result, the individual is facing fines of more than $3,000.
The province says that it does not invoke fire and travel restrictions lightly, but needs cooperation in order to reduce the risk of further fires, or loss of life if someone becomes trapped by a wildfire. Everyone is asked to respect all road closures and travel restrictions.
Manitoba conservation officers continue enforcement to protect the province’s natural resources including compliance checks for fisheries, addressing illegal hunting, and supporting wildfire prevention and suppression. For information on the status of fires, maps, travel restrictions, burning permit cancellations or other restrictions go to gov.mb.ca.
