A man was fined $28,872.50 for walking into the woods for a moment as a form of rebellion which was orchestrated beforehand in response to a controversial new law that recently became effective in the province of Nova Scotia in Canada.
Man Fined $28,872.50 For Walking Into the Woods For a Moment.
The fine was equivalent to $20,971.81 in United States dollars at the time this article was written.
In response to continued hot and dry conditions that have increased the risk of wildfires in this particular jurisdiction, you could incur a fine of $25,000 if you hike, fish, camp, or drive in the woods due to restrictions that became effective as of Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at 4:00 in the afternoon Atlantic Daylight Time…
…and one man decided to challenge the new law by purportedly disobeying it, which he claimed was necessary in order to challenge the provincial proclamation in court.
Upon arriving at the office of the Department of Natural Resources just outside of Sydney, Jeff Evely declared to the employees inside that he would be walking into a patch of woods that was near the office. Despite being ordered not to walk into the woods, he recorded audio and video of his encounter in its entirety and posted it on his social media accounts.
Evely then showed a piece of paper that is supposedly proof of the fine that he incurred. Added to the $25,000.00 fine is a victim surcharge and harmonized sales tax, which brought the total to $28,872.50.
As a retired veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces who ran as a candidate for the People’s Party of Canada in the federal election in April of 2025, Evely argues the ban is too restrictive and an example of government overreach.
Wildfires have raged out of control in many parts of the entire country of Canada during the summer of 2025 — including in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which has vowed to impose substantial fines of between $50,000.00 to $150,000.00 on people who violate its fire ban — as well as up to a year in prison.
Final Boarding Call
Assuming that this is not a hoax and that Jeff Evely actually was fined as a result of this stunt — no official employees of the government ever appeared on the video recording — it calls attention to what some people believe to be the overreach of governments in general and the right to protest that overreach. Although I do not believe a simple walk in the woods would result in a major wildfire, people do commit careless mistakes and errors.
Unfortunately, neither overreach by a government nor careless acts by individuals are not uncommon in the United States, either.
The problem is that despite the potential danger they present, wildfires are a natural occurrence that are both essential and beneficial, according to both the National Park Service of the United States and the National Geographic Society.
Perhaps the answer is better control of wildfires to allow them to occur while mitigating threats to wildlife and communities — or increasingly deliberately igniting controlled prescribed fires and burns of potentially highly flammable wood and other natural fuels to help prevent wildfires that burn out of control in the future…
…but in the meantime, if you travel to much of Canada — where free entry into any of the national parks is currently in effect through Tuesday, September 2, 2025, ironically — or the western third of the United States during the remainder of the summer of 2025, please be careful…
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
