Barb Hill-Taylor of East Port L’Hebert was at a community wildfire preparedness day on Tuesday, organized by Parks Canada. (Rick Conrad)

When last spring’s wildfires were consuming thousands of hectares around Barrington in southwestern Nova Scotia, Barb Hill-Taylor was about 90 kilometres away at her home in East Port L’Hebert.

“We have only one exit from our peninsula,” she said Tuesday, “and I was concerned about that and also the closeness of the Barrington fire, you could see the plume.”

The fires didn’t get close enough to threaten Hill-Taylor’s house, but they still left a lasting impression. Even though her house is made of concrete with a metal roof, she was still concerned enough that after it was all over, she and her neighbours asked the province’s wildfire prevention officer to visit their area. The officer gave her and her neighbours tips on how to make their properties more wildfire resilient.

“It was great. I learned a lot. We spent about two hours driving around the peninsulas and she would point out things that were issues for people to look at. It was a really worthwhile exercise. The snag is that people have to act on the recommendations now and cut trees. It’s difficult because you spend a lot of time doing your landscaping.”

Hill-Taylor was one of the local residents at Kejimkujik National Park Seaside in Port Joli on Tuesday for a wildfire community preparedness day.

Organized by Parks Canada, Tuesday’s event also included officials from Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources and Renewables and the Liverpool Fire Department.

They were there to educate people on how to make their property a little safer from fires. Parks Canada officials also laid out many of the measures they have taken at the park to help mitigate the spread of wildfires, which mirrored the things people can do on their own properties.

The fires that started in the Barrington Lake area last May eventually burned more than 23,000 hectares. So far this year, Nova Scotia crews have responded to 27 wildfires around the province.

Cory Isenor, a forestry resource technician with the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, says it’s a lot about common sense.

“It’s looking at the stuff around your home and trying to eliminate anything that could catch fire.”

Isenor advises homeowners to keep grass trimmed and short around your foundations, clean up any brush or leaves from around your home, make sure your decks, patios, gutters and roof are free of leaf and yard waste, and cut back any trees, especially if they’re evergreens, from around your home. He said it’s also important to make sure stacks of firewood are stored as far away from your house as possible.

Officials discussed which building materials are more prone to igniting in case of an outdoor fire. Metal roofing and concrete structures are best. But using non-combustible and fire-rated products can also help.

“The big thing is the distances from the combustible materials around your home,” Isenor said in an interview. “And the biggest thing is what we call the intermediate zone which is touching your house, a couple of metres right around your home, that you may have flower beds or dried wood, fences, anything that could catch and then transfer that over to your home. 

“You want to try to remove any combustible material in that immediate zone: birch bark mulch, firewood piles. Decks are always an area of concern.”

And Isenor said it’s also important, in the event of a wildfire, for people to be ready to shelter in place for 72 hours or to evacuate immediately.

Local resident Nancy Perry said she and her husband already cut back many of the trees on their property after last year’s fires. But she said she came to the event to be better prepared, just in case. 

“I was just interested to find out how we could make some changes at our property to be a little safer if we ever get another fire.”

The wildfire preparedness day was part of FireSmart Canada’s National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, which was observed on Saturday. Parks Canada officials recommended on Tuesday that people check out the FireSmart Canada website for more tips and a self-assessment of how to protect your home.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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The Nova Scotia government has called off the spring bear hunt. (Pete Nuij via Unsplash)

There will be no spring bear hunt in Nova Scotia.

The Nova Scotia government says it made the decision based on public feedback.

The Department of Natural Resources and Renewables announced Jan. 24 it was considering a spring bear hunt pilot. It said it would restrict the hunt to May and June and allow only males and females without cubs to be hunted. It would be limited to one bear for the whole year.

The department asked people to fill out an online survey from Jan. 24 to Feb. 24.

More than 17,000 people responded, the department said in a news release Wednesday. About 51 per cent were opposed to the hunt, while 47 per cent were supportive. About two per cent were neutral.

Some 64 per cent of hunters, farmers and landowners who completed the survey supported the hunt. About 50 per cent of rural respondents supported it. Forty per cent of urban/suburban respondents supported it.

People who were concerned about the bear hunt said their top worries were conservation of bears, potential safety issues and potential conflict with other outdoor activities.

The department also got 134 emails and letters from people and 10 letters from organizations, most of which were against the hunt.

There are no changes to the fall bear hunt, the department said.

“The department is committed to maintaining a stable and healthy bear population living in their natural habitat without negatively affecting the ecosystem or creating safety problems in communities,” according to the release.

Officials are working with Acadia University on a research project to improve knowledge about black bears. They also plan another public consultation this year on proposed regulations on inappropriate feeding of wildlife.

Anyone who suspects illegal hunting activity should call the department at 1-800-565-2224.

Nova Scotia’s $5.2-million Community Solar Program will help community groups build solar gardens. (Sebastian Ganso via Pixabay)

The Nova Scotia government has created a $5.2-million fund to help community groups and businesses set up solar gardens and sell the electricity.

The Community Solar Program is open to non-profits, co-operatives, First Nations communities, municipalities, businesses, universities and colleges. New solar gardens are expected to be up and running by spring 2026. 

Once people subscribe, they will get a solar energy credit of two cents per kilowatt hour on their power bill.

Groups can team up to build the solar gardens. Each one can generate up to 10 megawatts of power, according to the province. One megawatt of solar power can power up to 131 homes for a year.

The program is expected to introduce up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy by 2026, according to a news release from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.

“Not everyone has the ability to install their own solar panels,” Tory Rushton, minister of natural resources and renewables, said in the release. 

“This program creates the opportunity to buy solar energy from a community provider instead.”

Program details and an application form are available online here.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Nova Scotia Burn Safe map June 13 23 from NS Burn Safe website

The Nova Scotia Government has lifted the province-wide burn ban and remaining restrictions on travel and activities in the woods as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Burning is still not permitted between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. but may now be allowed after 2 p.m. depending on local conditions.

The province announced the lifting of restrictions shortly after issuing a release stating the Barrington Lake wildfire in Shelburne County is now under control.

The fire grew to a final size of 23,525 hectares (about 235 square kilometres) and is not expected to spread.

The release says, “…firefighters from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR), the Department of National Defence, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the United States are still on the scene doing mop up. Volunteer and municipal firefighters are on call to help.”

It goes on to explain, “Mop up means firefighters start at the perimeter of the fire and advance toward the centre in a grid pattern to systematically extinguish hot spots. Tactics include looking and smelling for smoke, digging up hot spots and dousing them with water. Depending on the size of a fire, mop up can take days or weeks.”

DNNR says helicopters will be flying over wildfires in the next week using infrared technology to help detect hotspots.

The fine for burning illegally remains at $25,000.

People are advised to check the Nova Scotia burn-safe map for conditions in their area before lighting any fires.

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A water bomber flies through the smoke of a forest fire in Shelburne County. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston wants to ensure every bit of available help is coming to fight the largest forest fires in the province’s history.

A letter sent from the Premier’s office to the Prime Minister Wednesday lays out a long list of needs including military personnel and equipment, helicopters, vehicles and temporary housing for firefighters coming from out of province.

An update provided by the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables Thursday morning shows approximately 20,000 hectares are burning across 16, the largest wildfire is in Barrington Lake in Shelburne County at 18,173 hectares.

During Thursday’s briefing, Premier Houston said the list of requests included in the letter is not meant to be exhaustive.

He is asking the federal government to inform Nova Scotia of other supports that could be helpful instead of waiting for a request.

In the letter he states, “You know your resources best and know what can help in a situation like this. Given the seriousness, any other resources at the disposal of the Federal Government that we haven’t mentioned but could help, please send. We ask for your common sense and support. If we have used the wrong terminology in any of our asks, or there are issues with the format of the ask, please be proactive and help us assist struggling Nova Scotians as quickly as possible.”

Houston says he learned lessons from Hurricane Fiona in September of 2022 that he doesn’t want to see repeated in this emergency.

“Once we’d kind of been through the urgency of the crisis, in my discussions with the Prime Minister, he looked me in the eye at one point and said the Nova Scotia didn’t fill out the proper forms and that’s why the support hadn’t come as quickly. I of course disagreed with that assessment but suggested that even if that assessment were true, there’s a time to act and there’s a time to get more fulsome paperwork later, and there was a time to act and it was missed,” said Houston.

“So, with that experience in mind I was not willing to leave any room for a repeat when people’s houses were literally burning. So, we fill out the paperwork and we go through the channels but at the same time it’s my hope that the Prime Minister and members of cabinet, members of parliaments recognize that there’s a time for action and the time for action is right now.”

The Premier’s letter also looks ahead for ways the federal government can support Nova Scotia once the fires are out.

The province is looking for early access to federal disaster relief funding through the Disaster Financial Assistance Agreement, and commitments to match Red Cross donations and rebuild critical infrastructure.

Houston also asks for Ottawa to provide a temporary leave benefit to assist people unable to work because of being displaced or firefighters taking time from their jobs.

The Premier said in a normal year Nova Scotia would face fewer than 100 wildfires. This year there have already been 196 and counting.

He said the increase in number and size of the fires has overwhelmed provincial resources well beyond what they are normally prepared to fight.

While thousands of people have been displaced, Houston says the situation could be much worse if not for the bravery and dedication of everyone involved.

“We’ve never faced wildfires like this before and we have them all at the same time. I think the remarkable thing that people should not lose sight of is zero missing people. Zero reported deaths. Zero serious injury. I mean, that says a lot about the response,” said Houston.

Fire crews are fighting a forecast calling for dry conditions and temperatures in the 30-degree Celsius range Thursday.

A reprieve may be on the way as Environment Canada is calling for showers to begin overnight Friday and rain continuing to fall over the weekend through Tuesday.

A team of Nova Scotia firefighters is expected to return from the Northwest Territories to join the effort this weekend.

The province has already received support from other provinces in the form of water bombers from Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick and firefighting personnel from Prince Edward Island.

Another press briefing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon to provide an update on how the firefighting efforts are proceeding.

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A fire official looks at area affected by fire. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia Government has banned all activity in wooded areas across the province.

Premier Tim Houston announced the measures which include all recreational and commercial activity during an update on Tuesday.

Houston said some commercial exceptions may be issued, but permission must be granted by the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.

The province has already issued a full burn ban across Nova Scotia until June 25 and Halifax had banned all off-highway vehicles from their trails.

Houston said six illegal fires were reported Monday night and people need to follow the ban, for everyone’s safety.

“Six illegal burns reported just last night is just mind-boggling. So, no burning. For God’s sake, stop burning, stop flicking your cigarette butts out your car window, just stop it. Our resources are stretched incredibly thin right now fighting existing fires,” said Houston.

Manager of Forest Protection with the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables Scott Tingley confirmed the fires raging across the province are beyond the department’s capacity.

“These fires are beyond our resource capacity and that’s why we’re prioritizing resources and that’s why they remain out of control. That’s why we continue to ask for help and bring in additional resources,” said Tingley. “This is unfortunately, the nature of emergency response.”

Tingley says the province has already had 195 fires burning 13,000 hectares this year.

There are currently 13 active wildfires, eight of those started Monday and three are out of control.

The forest fires in Tantallon and Shelburne are having an impact on Queens.

As of Tuesday, the fire in neighbouring Shelburne County is still out of control, burning over 10,000 hectares.

Department of Natural Resources and Renewables has dispatched 50 DNRR firefighters and three helicopters to the fire, joined by 40 local volunteer firefighters and two water bombers from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says the municipality will be offering the use of the South Shore Regional Airport to the DNRR helicopters.

Norman says that would save the helicopters from making the almost 400km round trip to Debert where they currently refuel.

A fuel tanker will need to be brought to the site as the fuel used by South Shore Flying Club members isn’t compatible with the water bombing helicopters.

DNRR is already using the airport to support and refuel the smaller fire watch prop planes.

Norman says while Queens has been unaffected by fires so far, she is still concerned.

“Rivers are at end of August levels,” said Norman. “Lakes are low, woods are dry; exceptionally, exceptionally dry, dry terrain.”

Norman says she’s been getting calls from people requesting the Region close all municipal parks as a precaution.

Those are included under the provincial ban and are now off limits.

Norman says she agrees with those measures and asks Queens residents to refrain from taking any chances.

“The least spark. The hot exhaust. There’s so much that can trigger a fire with this dryness. I ask that people who smoke, I don’t believe any cars come with ashtrays in them anymore. So perhaps, just keep a bottle of water with a cap on it in your car to put your cigarette butts in,” said Norman.

Provincial officials are warning the smoke from the fires can seriously affect the air quality in surrounding areas.

Residents are being told to close windows and doors, especially at night when the cooler air and clear skies allow the smoke to travel further.

While not as serious as an out-of-control fire, several businesses and organizations reported losing their internet connection on Monday, affecting point of sale payments, access to online business software and the ability to communicate to clients through e-mail and social media.

The South Shore Regional Centre for Education is also reporting issues with tracking absences through their Powerschool software that could result in a false notification of a student absence.

Installation of a new self-registration system at Queens General Hospital also had to be postponed.

The internet connection appears to have been restored by later in the day.

The province has also established a text line to help people cope with the stress of the fires.

Nova Scotians can text HOPENS to 393939 to receive supportive text messages that are aimed at helping develop healthy personal coping skills and resiliency.

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Carters Beach public information meeting November 26, 2022. Photo Susan MacLeod

A new plan is in the works that walks the line between protecting the environment and enjoying the shore at Carter’s Beach.

The once hidden gem has become exceedingly popular over the years causing a range of issues for locals.

Parked cars line country roadways making it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through, and the fragile ecosystem is being strained as litter piles up and beach-goers head into the fragile dunes to answer nature’s call due to a lack of washroom facilities.

In recent years, temporary garbage receptacles and port-a-potties have been put in place by the Region of Queens to alleviate stress.

Carter’s Beach is a provincial responsibility and was originally included in the parks and protected areas plan as a nature reserve but is now designated to become a provincial park.

Parks promotion and development officer Sandra Fraser says changing the designation is key moving to forward.

“Having it under the provincial parks program allows for the Department of Natural Resources to support operations there,” said Fraser. “Future plans include providing some basic infrastructure at some key access points so we can manage the usage there and allow for some recreational use while also protecting the ecological values.”

In 2021 the province went through an online consultation process to hear from the public and received over 150 responses.

Officials with Nova Scotia Parks held an open house in late November to present a broad overview of the plan to make Carter’s Beach a provincial park and to answer questions from the community.

Several priorities were identified including conserving sensitive habitats, addressing traffic concerns, providing washroom and waste disposal facilities, installing wayfinding and interpretive signs, and maintaining community partnership.

It was noted that management of the beach should also include establishing sustainable visitation levels.

One of the objectives presented at the meeting was to have vehicle and pedestrian counting equipment installed to track usage at Carter’s Beach.

Fraser says the concept plan also proposed alleviating congestion on Carter’s Beach Road by adding more parking on Port Mouton Rd across from Lake Drive.

“We may keep the small lot that’s there and then add to that and then have a defined path from that parking lot down to the beach.”

Fraser says funding has not yet been secured and plans still need to be finalized before the Carter’s Beach project can go forward.

She says anyone wishing to provide additional feedback can do so by e-mailing the department at: parkinfo@novascotia.ca

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Screen shot of the path Hurricane Fiona will take as it approaches Nova Scotia. From Environment Canada web page

Department of Natural Resources and Parks Canada officials are taking no chances despite expectations Hurricane Fiona will be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it makes landfall in Nova Scotia,

As Hurricane Fiona bares down on Nova Scotia officials with Parks Canada have decided to temporarily close Kejimkujik Park effective at noon Friday, September 23.

Anyone camping or visiting the site is being asked to leave and no one will be permitted to enter after that time.

The measures include the entire park and historic site as well as Kejimkujik Seaside in Port Joli.

Guests with bookings between Sep 23- 26 will be contacted, their reservations cancelled, and fees fully refunded.

To ensure the safety of all visitors Parks Canada officials say the closure will remain in place until conditions are safe.

The public will be updated on park conditions again on Tuesday, September 27 at noon.

Later Thursday morning the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources followed suit and announced all provincial parks would be closing Friday at noon as well.

Parks will be reopened once officials have assessed any damage and addressed safety concerns.

As of Thursday morning, Environment Canada predicts Hurricane Fiona will transform into a post tropical storm bringing very heavy rain and strong to severe wind gusts beginning Friday afternoon with the heaviest rain and wind peaking overnight into Saturday.

They are advising the public the storm has the potential to produce severe and damaging wind gusts, very high waves and coastal storm surge, and intense rainfall.

Officials from the province’s Emergency Management Office are urging all Nova Scotians to monitor local weather forecasts and be ready for the storm’s arrival by ensuring they have enough food and water for 72 hours and preparing their storm kits.

The basic checklist includes:
— having enough food and water for 72 hours
— monitoring local media outlets for updates
— securing gates, doors and windows
— moving yard furniture and securing trash cans, hanging plants and anything that can be picked up by wind
— checking radio batteries
— filling vehicles with gas and parking them away from trees
— keeping pets inside
— moving any type of watercraft to high ground
— ensuring personal and family safety
— checking on neighbours
— not leaving candles unattended.

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NS Burn Ban Map from novascotia/burnsafe website

It appears a burn ban in place across Nova Scotia will remain in effect for the near future.

According to a spokesperson from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, drought-like conditions over the past two weeks have left the forest floor extremely dry.

Wildfire Prevention Officer Kara McCurdy says due to a combination of high temperatures and wind and low humidity the smallest spark could set off a forest fire.

“Don’t have any fires period, whether it be campfire or brush burning. Being careful where you place anything hot. Like, if you’re welding, don’t weld in dry vegetation. If you’re running an all-terrain vehicle that you make sure to clear the exhaust off frequently because stuff accumulates around that and can get hot and drop,” said McCurdy. “Even camping, if you’re walking in the woods don’t discard any cigarettes, don’t play with matches or lighters.”

Environment Canada has issued an extreme heat warning for Nova Scotia and is forecasting temperatures into the high 20s until next week.

There is a chance of showers over that time, however, McCurdy says they likely won’t be enough to lower the fire hazard.

“But it’s not enough to really impact wetting the fuels down in the forest,” We’ll probably leave the ban in place until we get significant rain, which is a continued amount of rain of 20mm plus.

McCurdy says a few days of steady rain is key to preventing forest fires.

“A lot of the rain that comes from thunder cells will just quickly run off,” said McCurdy. “The ground is so hard now from being dry for so long that it’s just going to drain off really quick.”

McCurdy says there have been seven new forest fires of varying sizes across Nova Scotia over the past week.

Several of those are the result of campfires being left unattended or from people clearing their properties by burning the brush.

Crews are working to get a 1-hectare fire in Cumberland County under control.

She says people need to pay attention to the burn ban to safeguard the forests, their property, fire crews and themselves against fire.

Burn restrictions are updated on the novascotia.ca/burnsafe web page everyday at 2:00pm.

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Glen Parlee demonstrates his company’s new line of Versatile Integrated Packs. Photo Ed Halverson

A Brooklyn based manufacturer is hoping to conquer Canada and beyond with a new product line and a fresh approach to their business.

Parlee Manufacturing launched their Versatile Integrated Packs (VIP) as a customizable, off-the-shelf solution that can be tailored for any situation.

Glen Parlee, president of Parlee Manufacturing says the product was born from the close relationships with first responder agencies in Nova Scotia.

“Actually seeing how the product is used and talking to the people on the frontlines, not a purchasing agent but the person on the front lines that’s using it and asking the question, what would make your job easier? What would work better for your particular application? That’s the information that we need to make a product that’s always up-to-date and ready to go,” said Parlee.

Members from EHS Lifeflight and the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables were on hand at the product launch to demonstrate how the modular system has been adapted to their particular uses.

Even before the pandemic hit in 2020, Parlee Manufacturing was looking for ways to better connect to the customers.

With the help of Nova Scotia Business Inc and Digital Nova Scotia the company has rebranded and refreshed their websites and will be selling the new products direct to customers, online.

Parlee says by cutting out the middleman they can not only reduce costs and stay competitive against offshore producers but give the customer what they want.

“Maybe the set up that they see online, one of our sample ones that maybe a local organization is using doesn’t fit with their needs,” said Parlee. “We can help them decide, okay, if we change some of these, with these accessories, this might work for you. Then we can customize a pack without making a custom pack.”

Parlee and his wife Kathi started selling adventure products in 1985 and rebranded the business to Parlee Manufacturing in 2003.

With a full-time workforce of nine people, they still produce everything in their shop in Brooklyn, just outside Liverpool.

Parlee says when dealing with a larger order the family business can bring in up to 15 people.

Despite issues in other sector, he doesn’t see his company having an issue finding labour.

“Our average employee is not the average employee,” said Parlee. “Most of our seamstresses are folks that, their kids have gone back to school or they may be folks that have kids in school, so we’re very flexible.”

Parlee says their products are already in use across Nova Scotia and with the new product, new business model and new online presence, the goal is to have Parlee products in the hands of first responders across Canada in short order.

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