Three Canadian provinces have outlawed woodland access due to concerns over wildfire risk and are now threatening massive fines or jail for Canadians who violate the lockdown and who go out into nature.

The restrictions in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland are prompting calls of warning as well as acts of civil disobedience from Canadians who view the bans as a tyrannical attempt to restrict the movements of the populace, using climate change as justification.

The region’s extended drought and continuing hot, dry weather are being blamed on climate change and the restrictions are evoking a strong reaction among Canadians who liken them to the COVID-19 lockdowns 5 years ago.

Authorities in the provinces say the sweeping restrictions on public lands are intended to mitigate the risk of accidental wildfires being caused by the presence of humans.

However, the policy to restrict the movements of the law-abiding is seen by some as extreme and unconstitutional as well as reminiscent of the kind of heavy-handed overreach that was common during the pandemic.

Some Canadians are challenging the lockdowns by engaging in peaceful civil disobedience and going into the woods despite the threat of fines and jail.

Air Force veteran Jeff Evely was among the first to challenge authorities in Nova Scotia by alerting provincial environmental officers that he was going to enter the woods across from their office last Friday.

Evely made good on his promise and was issued a $28,872.50 fine for walking into the woods.

Evely maintains that his civil disobedience is necessary pushback against authorities who believe that banning citizens from going for a walk in the woods because they might start a fire is unconstitutional, telling the Toronto Sun, “It’s about human dignity.”

Constitutional lawyer Marty Moore of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms took Nova Scotia’s ban to task, saying:

This law views people as the problem – not dangerous activities. This law is anti-human, and should someone find themselves on the wrong end of a charge – a massive charge, $25,000 dollar fine, for going into the woods, you can expect a constitutional challenge and a judicial review of this order.

Nova Scotia’s Minister of Natural Resources Tory Rushton defended the lockdowns, saying, “We all have a role to play in keeping our communities safe.”

The ban on human activity in the provinces is expected to last until at least October 15.