Don’t expect a fireworks show this Canada Day and do not set off any of your own.
That from Madawaska Valley Fire Chief Corwin Quade, as the region remains in a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) Restricted Fire Zone.
Quade says he doesn’t expect the total fire ban to be lifted ahead of Canada Day festivities on Saturday.
In Madawaska Valley, the ban means open-air burning, including campfires, is not permitted and all burning permits are suspended. It also means people are asked to not partake in some Canada Day night rituals.
“There’s no fireworks, no open flames, (people) have to be very cautious,” he says. “No sparklers, nothing like that. We will be out responding to calls if we do get them.”
Quade says it will take some time for the recent rain to soak into the ground and create safer conditions.
He also says the MNRF ban remains in place because several forest fires in Northern Ontario are still raging, and the province’s overall fire resources are still stretched thin.