Nova Scotia fire ban impacting revenues for campgrounds

Many campgrounds are feeling the impact of Nova Scotia’s ban on entry to the woods.

Piles of firewood sit unused in sheds across Nova Scotia, as a provincewide fire ban continues to impact summer plans and bottom lines.

At Woodhaven RV Park in Hammonds Plains, staff says the ban has made a significant dent in their seasonal revenue.

“Firewood we purchase every year and cut and split is available for purchase as well, we are losing on that revenue as well,” said Emily Siepierski, who works at the campground.

With campsites still nearly full, the business has had to rethink how it serves customers. Siepierski says they’ve stocked up on alternatives.

“We do have propane firepits available for rent and purchase,” she said. “We had purchased a while ago 10 fire pits and we have put an order. So we have a few left.”

At LaHave River Campground, owner Jamie Lee Arseneau says guests are disappointed and some are cancelling their reservations altogether.

“Having to have hard conversations when people who connect campfires with camping now can’t do that, many of whom are upset and would cancel their reservation based on that,” she said. “So we have been seeing an influx of cancellations.”

In a statement, CEO of the Boys and Girls Greater Halifax Club, Tracy Durke-Jones, said the fire ban “has had real impact on summer programs like ours, which often rely on natural spaces for outdoor learning and recreation.”

Dry weather is compounding the problem. At Woodhaven, staff say the lack of rainfall has forced them to shut down some services.

“We’re on a well here in Hammonds Plains,” said Siepierski. “In order to conserve the essential resource that water is, we’ve closed our laundromat.”

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