Over the last few years, Canada's wildfires have become worse and worse thanks to climate change. Yes, I said it, it's a fact, get over it so we can figure out what to do next.
And because of those fires, as well as the increasingly prevalent nature of them, Canadian officials have taken more drastic steps to reduce and mitigate the chances of people causing those wildfires. That's included things like bans on fireworks, open flames, campfires and more. And one that affects the powersports world has been temporary bans on recreational vehicles like UTVs and ATVs, as even with spark arrestors, they can cause ignition events.
As was the case since May of this year, as Canadian officials battled wildfires in the province of Saskatchewan. That initial ban, however, has been lifted—H/T to our friends at UTV Driver—and UTV and ATV drivers can once again roam Canada's public trails freely. Though they're reminded that humans lead the cause of wildfires, and that they should take care to prevent such starts.
The revision of the temporary ban went into effect on June 13th, as "Due to favourable weather conditions, we are seeing reduced risk for fire starts caused by ATVs and UTVs," stated Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency Vice-President of Operations Steve Roberts. He did, however, add, "We ask that ATV/UTV users stay away from the active fire lines to ensure personal safety and safety of crews."
The SPSA also added that fireworks and open fires such as camp fires, remain prohibited, as "There are 19 active wildfires in the province," and conditions for wildfire activity remain dangerous, adding, "To date, Saskatchewan has had 259 wildfires, which is 84 more than the previous year at this time. The wildfire five-year average in Saskatchewan to date is 148."
Canadian wildfires have dominated the news in recent years, as vast acreage has burned thanks to higher than average temperatures and lower than average rainfall affecting the whole of the country. And that's in large part thanks to the size and scale of the fires, and how their smoke drifts into neighboring countries like the United States, as well as all the way to Europe.
However, given we're only in the middle of June, and fire season is just getting started, we'll likely see far more temporary bans throughout Canada if and when more fires begin.
