June 11, 2021
Manitoba Conservation Officer Resource Enforcement Update
Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development advises that conservation officers are continuing enforcement to protect Manitoba’s natural resources including compliance checks for fisheries, addressing illegal hunting, and supporting wildfire prevention and suppression.
Conservation officers have been busy with the high number of spring fires conducting wildfire investigations of human caused fires. In total, there have been 14 fires investigated with the following results:
• Fire 205-001 (Camp Hughes) – deemed to be accidental from target shooting, not ATV use as originally reported in some media;
• Fire 304-005 (Gypsumville) – determined to be deliberately set, investigation ongoing;
• Fire 304-012 (Gypsumville) – originated from landowner debris burning and landowner charged under the Wildfires Act for burning without a permit;
• Fire 302-020 (North Whiteshell) – determined to be railway caused, with metal fragments from a passing train determined to be the cause;
• Fire 302-029 (Lac du Bonnet) – determined to have been caused by a military exercise;
• Fire 303-033 (Marchand) – under investigation;
• Fire 304-038 (Gypsumville) – deemed to have originated from private land;
• Fire 304-042 (Gypsumville) – determined to be deliberately set and charges of set fire likely to burn out of control and set fire without a permit were laid against a suspect under the Wildfires Act;
• Fire 302-043 (south Whiteshell) – under investigation;
• Fire 304-044 (Gypsumville) – determined to be a restart from earlier debris burning and landowner charged with failure to take precautions to keep a fire under control under the Wildfire Act;
• Fire 302-056 (North Whiteshell) – under investigation;
• Fire 302-059 (North Whiteshell) – determined to be railway caused;
• Fire 205-011 (Swan River) – deemed to have been started from unattended brush piles that were not properly extinguished, investigation ongoing; and
• Fire 304-047 (Gypsumville) – cause undetermined.
From April 1 to June 9, a total of 30 charges and 39 warnings have been issued under the Wildfires Act. During the burning permit season, April 1 to Nov.15, burning permits are required for any burning, with exception of fires in an approved fire pit. Any person lighting a fire that requires suppression, may be liable for suppression costs and or fines. Call 911 or the toll-free TIP line at 1-800-782-0076 to report any forest fires or any resource offences.
Conservation officers work closely with their colleagues at the Manitoba Wildfire Service. This includes enforcement of fire bans, travel restrictions, fire investigations and assistance on fire suppression. For information on the status of fires, maps, travel restrictions, burning permit cancellations or other restrictions go to www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire/ or follow the Twitter account at https://twitter.com/mbgovnews.
Manitoba’s recreational angling and hunting regulations can be found in both the Anglers’ Guide and Hunting Guide. Both documents can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/fish-wildlife/.
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