As of Tuesday, Nova Scotians are banned from doing any of the following in their forests, rock barrens, brushlands and marshes: dog walking, hiking, trail riding, bowhunting, trapping, berry picking, birdwatching, rock climbing and bike riding. Landowners are exempt on their own properties, but not their friends or relatives. Violators will receive a $25,000 fine.

Though these activities don’t involve combustion, they have been prohibited in a province-wide fire-prevention edict. It’s a gross overreach by Premier Tim Houston, who, by issuing said ban, has demonstrated a glaring inability to balance property rights with public risk.

The justification for this COVID-esque forest quarantine is the threat of fire. As of Thursday, most areas in the province were rated “extreme” or “high” on

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