Putting lives at risk

Cigarette butts can have big consequences, says RCMP

Recently a driver in Abbotsford, B.C. found out throwing a cigarette butt out the window is not advised.

He got in trouble at the height of wildfire season, reported the CBC, and ended up receiving a fine for $575 under the Wildfire Act after a police officer witnessed the butt-tossing.

Community policing Const. Kelli Gaudet of Kings District RCMP says fires set by live butts put the lives of the public and firefighters at risk.

The fine in Nova Scotia for such littering, especially during fire season, Gaudet noted is $410 because dry grass can ignite quickly.

Last summer wild fires were rife during August in western Nova Scotia. One fire at Seven Mile Lake in Annapolis County ate up 350 hectares.