Mayor wants stiffer fines after 407 recent brush, grass fires in Surrey
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke has proposed increased fines for fire safety violations – following hundreds of recent brush and grass fires, the majority of which were caused by people.
Locke presented a motion at city council Monday directing staff to review the current penalties and consider increasing – or even doubling – the fines when open fire bans are in effect.
"By taking this step, we are sending a clear message that the safety of our community is our top priority," Locke said in a statement Tuesday. "It's essential that everyone understands the serious consequences of violating these regulations, as they directly impact our ability to keep our city safe."
Firefighters have responded to more than 400 brush and grass fires since May 1, according to the city.
Locke spoke to media Tuesday, and said “most of the fires, almost all of them, are human-related.”
“We need the public to be diligent, to be aware, to report fires when we see them. We are a big land mass in Surrey, so we need people to report,” she said.
Earlier this month, officials warned residents that Surrey was increasing enforcement of existing fire regulations, citing elevated risk due to hot and dry weather conditions.
Campfires and fireworks are not allowed anywhere within Surrey, nor is smoking in the city's parks.
Those who violate fire bylaws can face stiff penalties – including fines of up to $5,000 for illegal fireworks displays. Smoking or starting fires within parks can also cost scofflaws up to $2,000.
Last year, Surrey issued 30 tickets for fire-related offences during the summer – including 11 for unlawful burning, 11 for prohibited smoking and eight for unlawful fires.
So far this year, the city has issued 15 tickets – 10 for unlawful burning, three for prohibited smoking and two for unlawful fires.
Residents can report violations by phoning the city at 604-591-4370 or using Surrey's online complaint tool.
The report from the Surrey Fire Service will likely come to council on Sept. 9, when it will be voted on.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Yasmin Gandham.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc beats Trudeau Liberals in Montreal byelection, NDP holds on to Manitoba seat
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been handed his second byelection upset in recent months, as the Bloc Quebecois won LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, Que., a longtime Liberal seat in Montreal.
Watch out for texts offering free gifts — it's likely a scam
An Ontario man thought he got some good news when he received a text message offering a $30 gift for being a loyal Giant Tiger customer. 'I do go to that store so I clicked on the link and it said it was a customer appreciation award they were going to give people,' Mark Martin, of Simcoe, Ont., told CTV News Toronto.
Employee who called the Titan unsafe before fatal voyage to testify before U.S. Coast Guard
A key employee who labelled an experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage was set to testify Tuesday before U.S. Coast Guard investigators.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.
'Not that simple': Trump drags Canadian river into California's water problems
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised "more water than you ever saw" to Californians, partly by tapping resources from a Canadian river.
Toxic chemicals used in food preparation leach into human bodies, study finds
More than 3,600 chemicals that leach into food during the manufacturing, processing, packaging and storage of the world's food supply end up in the human body — and some are connected to serious health harms, a new study found.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment
Sean 'Diddy' Combs, the hip-hop mogul who has faced a stream of allegations by women accusing him of sexual assault, was arrested late Monday in New York after he was indicted by a federal grand jury.
A French man admits in court to drugging his wife so that he and dozens of men could rape her
A 71-year-old French man acknowledged in court Tuesday that he drugged his then-wife and invited dozens of men to rape her over nearly a decade, as well as raping her himself. He pleaded with her, and their three children, for forgiveness.
Body recovered from B.C. lake after unclothed man leads investigators to crash site
Mounties are investigating a fatal crash north of Whistler, B.C., after an unclothed man who was found along the side of the road led police to a pickup truck submerged in a lake with one occupant still inside.