by WorldTribune Staff, August 11, 2025 Real World News
Yes, a tree falling in the woods makes a sound. But don't ask Nova Scotians to verify that.
Authorities in the Canadian province, which is 75 percent forests, have ordered people to stay out of God's untainted creation or face fines of up to $25,000, the True North Wire reported on Aug. 6.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said authorities are "telling Nova Scotians; stay out of the woods. We are restricting travel and activities that really aren’t necessary for most of us, hiking, camping, fishing and the use of vehicles in the woods are not permitted. Trail systems through woods are off limits. Camping is allowed, but only in official campgrounds.”
The apparent reason for the woods ban is that the government doesn't trust that it citizens will not start forest fires.
“If you’re a smoker, for God’s sakes, be mindful of where you’re butting your butt out. If you don’t and you cause a fire, we will hold you accountable,” Houston. “If you have a home or cottage, surrounded by a wooded area, we strongly encourage you to stay out of those woods, regardless of where they are. Please don’t do anything that could unnecessarily put you, your family or your neighbors at risk.”
Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton said Nova Scotia has had to deal with 100 wildfires this season.
“They’ve all been very small, but our crews have been able to manage them and extinguish them quickly. But that could change in a heartbeat,” Rushton said. “It’s incredibly dry out there right now, and the fires we’re seeing right now are burning deeper into the root system and going deep underground, and that kind of fire takes a long time to put out, which is exhausting our resources.”
“Across the country, there are over 700 fires burning,” Houston said. “As tinder dry conditions continue to persist from one end of the province to the other, the risk of wildfires increases, and the risk is very, very high right now…We can take steps while we’re in the middle of trying to fight fires, or we can be proactive and try to prevent them, and we have chosen to be proactive and try to prevent fires.”
Some civil liberties advocates are sounding the alarm, saying the move amounts to government overreach and echoes Covid lockdown-era measures.
“When safety becomes a weapon, everyone loses. Nova Scotia’s forest ban is overkill, and it’s deja vu. It’s happening now because the government got away with it last time,” Christine Van Geyn, a constitutional lawyer with the Canadian Constitution Foundation, said in a post on X.
“This is a classic example of safetyism: a mentality where risk becomes an excuse for control, not communication. Once the government sees that overreach is workable, it’s replayed, every few years.”
