Repost - Forested areas and forested parks closed, provincial burn ban and voluntary water conservation in HRM / Fireworks ban

Repost - Forested areas and forested parks closed, provincial burn ban and voluntary water conservation in HRM / Fireworks ban **** Via HRM Repost - Residents advised of restrictions on woods in municipal park spaces The Halifax Regional Municipality is advising residents that, due to the Fire Proclamation – Travel Ban issued by the Province of Nova Scotia today, restrictions will be placed on access to the woods in municipal park spaces, effective 4 p.m. today. These restrictions will remain in place until 2 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2025, unless the province’s proclamation is revoked or amended by further notice. Woods, as defined in the provincial Forests Act, include forested land, rock barren, brush land, dry marsh, bog or muskeg. Parks that are all woods will be fully closed. Parks with non-woods areas – such as greenspaces, playgrounds, sports fields and ball diamonds – will remain open for use. For parks which have both woods and non-woods areas, the woods are closed and the non-wooded areas remain open. An example of this would be Fort Needham Memorial Park where the monument, playground and sports field remain open but the woods are closed. Supervised beaches in municipal parks will remain open. If these restrictions affect any recreation programming, impacted users will be advised. The municipality is in the process of installing signage at impacted park spaces, which is expected to take several days. Regardless of the presence of signage, residents are required to adhere to these restrictions. More information on the provincial notice of restricting travel and activities in the woods is available in the Province of Nova Scotia’s news release. -

**** HRM Release

- ****Halifax Water Release Repost - Voluntary Water Conservation Measures Requested for Halifax Regional Municipality Due to the recent prolonged period of low precipitation, water levels within our supply areas have not been replenished. With no significant precipitation forecasted in the coming weeks, these levels will continue to lower. To conserve water, Halifax Water is requesting that all customers and those who live or work within a building serviced by Halifax Water, follow voluntary water conservation measures until further notice. By reducing our water usage, we can help ease the demand on our lakes/source water and reduce or delay the need for mandatory water conservation measures. To confirm if you are impacted, please visit Where Does My Water Come From? These measures include: · If it’s yellow, let it mellow. Depending on the efficiency of your toilet, each flush uses between 6 to 26 litres of water. · Shorten your showers. Cut back on the frequency and length of showers. · Turn off the tap when not in use. Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth, shaving, washing your face etc. · Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes. Limit activities that use excess water, such as: · Watering lawns. · Washing vehicles. · Filling pools. Visit halifaxwater.ca/reducing-your-water-wastewater-use for a full list of ways to conserve water. To learn more and find further resources and a weekly water level update visit Voluntary Water Conservation in Effect for HRM | Halifax Water For more information on Halifax Water, please check www.halifaxwater.ca, visit us on YouTube, or Twitter @HalifaxWater, Facebook, or call our Customer Care Centre at 902-420-9287. - **** DNR Release Repost - Travel, Activities in Woods Restricted to Prevent Wildfires --------------------------------------------------------- The Province is restricting travel and activities in the woods because continued hot, dry conditions have greatly increased the risk of wildfires. The restrictions, effective as of 4 p.m. today, August 5, include: - hiking, camping, fishing and the use of vehicles in the woods are not permitted - trail systems through woods are off limits - camping is allowed only in campgrounds. These and other measures are in place on provincial Crown and private land until October 15 or until conditions allow them to be lifted. The fine for violating the restrictions is $25,000. “Conditions continue to be extremely dry. Until we get a significant amount of rain, we’re at an elevated risk of wildfires,” said Premier Tim Houston. “Most wildfires are caused by human activity, so to reduce the risk, we’re keeping people out of the woods until conditions improve. I’m asking everyone to do the right thing – don’t light that campfire, stay out of the woods and protect our people and communities.” Forestry, mining and any commercial activity on provincial Crown lands are also restricted. People who conduct this kind of activity can apply for a permit at their local Department of Natural Resources office. While the restrictions are in place, people can still access beaches and parks, but not the trail systems. Private landowners are free to use their own properties but cannot host others to use wooded areas of their properties. Quotes: “We’ve had about 100 wildfires this season. They’ve all been small and put out quickly, but that could change in a heartbeat in these dry conditions. I ask everyone to co-operate, stay out of the woods and be sensible in applying these rules to help keep our people and our communities safe.” — Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources Quick Facts: - the restrictions were put in place through a proclamation under the Forests Act - people with questions about the restrictions can call their local Department of Natural Resources office - a provincewide ban on open fires started on July 30 and will remain in place until October 15 or until conditions improve; the fine for violating the ban is $25,000 Additional Resources: Woods restrictions proclamation: https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestprotection/wildfire/woods-proclamation_2025-08-05.pdf News release – Provincewide Burn Ban in Effect: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/07/30/provincewide-burn-ban-effect Department of Natural Resources offices: https://novascotia.ca/natr/staffdir/offices_map.asp Natural Resources on X: https://x.com/NS_DNR - **** Via DNR Repost - Provincewide Burn Ban Remains in Effect ------------------------------------------------------- Because of hot, dry conditions, there is a ban on open fires effective immediately across the entire province. The ban was put in place today, July 30, and will remain in place until October 15 – the end of wildfire season – or until conditions improve. The fine for violating the ban is $25,000. “We’ve had a lot of hot, dry weather, very little rain and there’s no significant rain in the forecast in the near future,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources. “We’ve had a lot of small, manageable fires this month and conditions are now ripe for any small fire to grow larger. Nobody wants a repeat of the devastation we experienced in 2023. I ask all Nova Scotians to co-operate, respect the burn ban and save their campfires and other open fires for a safer time.” The ban applies to open fires such as campfires, bonfires, brush fires, fires in chimeneas and any other fire that is not enclosed and uses wood as the fuel. Unlike gas or charcoal fires, sparks could escape from an open wood fire and cause a wildfire. Non-woodburning devices like charcoal and gas barbeques and gas stoves are allowed to be used, following manufacturer’s instructions. Quick Facts: - the ban was put in place through a proclamation under the Forests Act - the Province’s BurnSafe map, which lets people know where and when burning is permitted, will remain red while the proclamation is in effect, meaning open fires are not allowed - the proclamation overrides any permits that have been issued for industrial burning - the ban applies to all private property and provincial lands, including parks and protected areas; the Province does not have jurisdiction over federal land - people are not banned from entering the woods at this time, but that is another possible tool to help reduce the risk of wildfires, if needed Additional Resources: Burn ban proclamation: https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestprotection/wildfire/fire-proclamation_2025-07-30.pdf Information on fire restrictions and the BurnSafe map: https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestprotection/wildfire/burnsafe/Q-As.asp Forests Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/forests.pdf - **** Via Halifax Water Repost -  Halifax Water Watershed Lands Closed Effective immediately, all Halifax Water watershed lands are closed to members of the public. This closure will be in place until further notice. Halifax Water is taking steps to protect our water supplies and to comply with the provincial ban on all woodland activity. This is in an effort to reduce the potential for more wildfires in Nova Scotia. These restrictions apply to Halifax Water property near watersheds and provincially or federally owned lands within protected water areas that Halifax Water manages. This is consistent with the approach being taken by municipal and provincial authorities to reduce the risk of further forest fires in wooded areas. To know where our watersheds are, please visit Halifax Water Source Water Protection Areas Web App For more information on Halifax Water, please check www.halifaxwater.ca, visit us on YouTube, or Twitter @HalifaxWater, Facebook, or call our Customer Care Centre at 902-420-9287. - **** NS Gov Release Repost - Fireworks Banned Provincewide --------------------------------------------------------- To protect communities across Nova Scotia and lower the risk of wildfires, the Province has banned the use of all fireworks. As of today, August 6, all fireworks and pyrotechnic special effects are not permitted as long as a burn ban is in effect. There is currently a ban in place until October 15 or until conditions allow it to be lifted. The fine for violating the fireworks ban is $25,000. The new ban applies to consumer and display fireworks and pyrotechnic special effects even if they have the appropriate approvals. Quick Facts: - a provincewide ban on open fires started on July 30 and will remain in place until October 15 or until conditions improve - travel and activities in woods were restricted as of August 5, until October 15, or until conditions improve - people with questions about woods restrictions can call their local Department of Natural Resources office Additional Resources: News release – Provincewide Burn Ban in Effect: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/07/30/provincewide-burn-ban-effect News release – Travel, Activities in Woods Restricted to Prevent Wildfires: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/08/05/travel-activities-woods-restricted-prevent-wildfires -