Update:
Bruce Mines and the Township of Plummer Additional has lifted its fire ban effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 16 for small campfires only.
We are not requiring a fire permit at this time. Please check the Township website for forms to fill out and return in the drop box with the payment.
Update:
The city-wide fire ban will be lifted shortly, according to Mayor Christian Provenzano.
Provenzano has informed SooToday in an e-mail that he expects the ban to be lifted before the end of the day.
That means so long as people have a permit, they will be able to have a fire this weekend.
SooToday will provide more information when it becomes available.
Original 12:23 p.m. story:
If you've been looking forward to a campfire over the long weekend, there's good news.
A provincial fire ban put in place last month is being lifted.
According to a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry news release, the restricted fire zone will be lifted May 16 at 12:01 a.m.
"The province will continue to assess forest fire hazard conditions and an RFZ designation may be reinstated in higher risk areas if conditions deteriorate. These restrictions are put in place in order to reduce the number of preventable human-caused fires and lower the risk of wildfires impacting the public," reads the release.
Ontario has increased the base funding for emergency forest firefighting by $30.2 million to ensure safety measures are in place for fire rangers.
"This is an extraordinary period. As we put measures in place to protect our staff and the public from the pandemic, we have been taking additional steps to prepare for the wildland fire season," said John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, in a news release.
"Nothing is more important than protecting the safety of people and communities across the province. Although we want people to enjoy themselves, lifting the Restricted Fire Zone designation does not mean we can let our guard down when it comes to preventing human-caused forest fires."
So far this year, the MNRF says there have been 37 wildland fires that burned 93 hectares, which is below the 10-year average of 114 wildland fires burning 8,260 hectares.
The ministry also advises people to check with their local municipality to see if a local fire ban is in effect.
