News
Lacombe County: Fire Permit Season Begins March 1 – Have you got yours?
February 26, 2019
Fire Permit Season Begins March 1: Have you got yours?
Lacombe County reminds people that permit requests are free and easy to submit online, through the “myLacombeCounty” app and in person.
(Lacombe, Alberta, February 26, 2019) Lacombe County reminds ratepayers that fire permit season starts on March 1, 2019. In 2017, permit season was moved up a month – starting March 1 rather than April 1 – in response to changing environmental conditions, including drier spring conditions.
“This winter has not brought a lot of snow to Lacombe County and as a result, spring conditions will likely be drier. This was evident in 2018 as well, with an early fire ban put in place by the end of last April,” said Drayton Bussiere, Lacombe County Fire Chief. “Residents are also encouraged to check on any controlled burns performed outside of permit season, as larger burns can smolder through the winter and reignite as it warms up. By complying with the fire permit process and by using safe burning practices, all Lacombe County residents can help us keep our County safe throughout the season.”
Burning without a fire permit can result in a hefty fine.
Under Lacombe County’s Fire Protection Policy, anyone found burning without a permit will be required to pay for the fire department response fees. A flat rate of $300 will be charged for responses to a fire when a person is in contravention of the Forest and Prairie Protection Act for failure to have a fire permit or any other provision of the Act and fire suppression is not required.
“It’s about public safety and burning responsibly,” said Bussiere. “Fire permits are free of charge and easy to obtain, yet we continue to have situations where people don’t take out a permit and can be charged under the bylaw, the intent here is not to generate revenue but to ensure the safety of all Lacombe County residents and their neighbours.”
The past several years have seen many producers brush lands and burn the brush during the winter months. It is very important to remember to check these piles as they can smolder for many months, and can be rekindled by wind. Combine this with dry spring conditions and the resulting fires can be disastrous.
Fires that are started by rekindled brush piles are your responsibility and you can also be charged for the fire response. Should a Fire Department respond to a fire for which a permit has not been issued, or if a permit has been issued and the permit holder contravenes any of the conditions of the permit, the property owner will be assessed costs at the following rates:
• fire truck – $500 per hour
• water truck – $300 per hour
• rapid response unit/mini pumper – $300 per hour
• equipment van – $300 per hour
• equipment other than fire apparatus – Lacombe County cost
• personnel other than fire department members – Lacombe County cost
Beginning on March 1, 2019, online fire permits can be submitted from the Lacombe County website homepage (www.lacombecounty.com), and through the “my Lacombe County” app (Apple users). People are also able to request permits in person at the Lacombe County Office, or by calling 403-782-8959.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you require a fire permit?
The Forest and Prairie Protection Act prohibits the lighting of an outdoor fire, excluding an attended outdoor camp fire which has been set for cooking or warming purposes, between March 1 and October 31 each year, on land in a permit area, unless the person is a holder of a subsisting fire permit.
The Forest and Prairie Protection Act states that no person shall:
- a) light an outdoor fire without first taking sufficient precautions to ensure that the fire can be kept under control at all times, or
- b) light an outdoor fire when weather conditions are conducive to a fire readily escaping out of control, or
- c) fail to take reasonable steps to control a fire for the purpose of preventing it from spreading unto land otherthan his own, or
- d) deposit, discard or leave any burning matter or substance in a place where it might ignite other matter andresult in a fire.
How can you obtain a permit?
Beginning on March 1, online fire permits can be submitted from the Lacombe County website homepage (www.lacombecounty.com) and from the new “my Lacombe County” app. Permits can also be requested in person at the Lacombe County Office, or by calling 403-782-8959.
What you need to know
In Lacombe County, fire permits are required during the fire season, which starts March 1st and ends October 31st each year, but can be extended if the risk or danger of wildfire exists.
Before lighting any fire, a permit holder must take precautions to ensure that the fire is kept under control at all times. The following rules apply to all permits issued in Lacombe County:
- A fire permit is valid only for the period that it is issued for.
- Upon issuing a permit, the County may specify any special fire control condition that, in their discretion, isimportant to the safety of the county residents.
- The fire must be set at the time and place indicated on the permit.
- The number of fires set at one time and minimum equipment needed may be specified on the permit.
- Anyone who sets a fire under the authority of a permit must:
o Have a the permit at the fire site
o Produce and show the permit to a County employee on request
o Keep the fire under control, and
o Extinguish the fire before expiration, or upon cancellation of the permit, or obtain a renewal.
What can you burn?
Burnable debris includes: Prohibited debris includes:
- Brush and fallen trees
- Used power and telephone poles that do notcontain preservatives
- Wood or wood products not containingpreservatives
- Solid waste from tree harvesting
- Straw, stubble, grass, weeds, leaves, and treeprunings
- Solid waste from post and pole operations thatdoes not contain wood preservatives
- Animal manure
- Pathological waste (waste from human healthcentres)
- Wood or wood products containing woodpreservatives
- Waste materials from construction sites
- Rubber, including tires
- Plastic, including baler twine
- Oil
- Containers that held pesticides or any otherchemicals
- Plastic or rubber coated materials, includingcopper wire.
Special provisions for stubble burning
A Stubble Burning Permit is required throughout the year prior to burning the stubble or swath of any crop. A field inspection will be required prior to the issuance of a permit. Phone the Agricultural Fieldman at 782-8959 a few days in advance for inspection arrangements. Stubble Burning Permits may only be obtained at the County office from the Manager of Environmental and Protective Services or the Agricultural Fieldman
Remember to recycle
Many items that you may consider burning can be recycled: Plastics, paper, cardboard and metal materials, used oil, tires and beverage containers, along with many other items. Call the Recycle Info Line at 1-800-463-8320 for local information or visit the Lacombe Regional Waste Services Commission website (www.lrwsc.ca).
International
BBC boss quits amid scandal over edited Trump footage
BBC Director-General Tim Davie resigned Sunday after the taxpayer-funded broadcaster was caught airing doctored footage of President Donald Trump’s January 6, 2021 speech — falsely making it appear that Trump urged his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol.
Davie, who led the BBC for five years, announced his resignation in a statement saying he was taking “ultimate responsibility” for recent “mistakes.” “Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable,” Davie wrote. “While not being the only reason, the current debate around BBC News has understandably contributed to my decision.” The statement notably avoided mentioning Trump by name.
The resignation came alongside that of BBC News CEO Deborah Turness after internal documents revealed that the network’s flagship investigative program Panorama had spliced together two separate lines from Trump’s Jan. 6 address to create a misleading narrative. The program, which aired just a week before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, suggested Trump directly told supporters to “fight like hell” and march on the Capitol.
According to a 19-page whistleblower memo obtained by The Telegraph, editors at the BBC combined Trump’s remarks from the beginning and end of his speech to make him appear as though he was inciting violence. In reality, Trump’s full statement was that his supporters should walk “peacefully and patriotically” to make their voices heard. The memo accused senior BBC executives, including its chairman, of ignoring repeated internal complaints about the doctored footage.
BREAKING: BBC’s director general Tim Davie, and the chief executive of the news division, Deborah Turness, have RESIGNED after it was revealed that BBC EDITED Trump‘s quotes on January 6th to make it look like Trump was calling for an insurrectionpic.twitter.com/uQKfMyP0pf
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 9, 2025
The revelations sparked outrage across the U.K. and abroad, with critics calling the manipulation a “catastrophic breach of trust” by Britain’s state broadcaster. The incident added to growing criticism that the BBC has become increasingly partisan. In recent weeks, the network faced backlash for coverage of the war in Gaza and its treatment of transgender policy debates, both seen as tilting left.
Davie’s departure marks another blow to the BBC’s credibility as it struggles to maintain public trust amid accusations of bias and political interference. The broadcaster has not announced who will replace him.
International
BBC uses ‘neutrality’ excuse to rebuke newscaster who objected to gender ideology
From LifeSiteNews
Rebuking a female presenter for correcting an ideological script that says men can get pregnant isn’t ‘neutrality,’ by any stretch.
Imagine a society in which the state broadcaster demanded that the female hosts eliminate the word “women” in favor of “people” and rebuked them if their facial expressions betrayed any hit of protest on air.
Welcome to the United Kingdom in 2025. According to the BBC: “Martine Croxall broke rules over ‘pregnant people’ facial expression, BBC says.”
Martine Croxall, a BBC presenter, was introducing an interview about “research on groups most at risk during UK heatwaves,” and the teleprompter script she was reading live on BBC News Channel contained the phrase “pregnant people.”
Croxall visibly raised her eyebrows, and corrected in real-time: “Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, says that the aged, pregnant people … women … and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions.”
I have a new favourite BBC presenter. https://t.co/l2gkThccty
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 22, 2025
When Dr. Mistry, a professor, came on for the interview, she too referred to “pregnant women” rather than “pregnant people.”
Because a female presenter clearly objected to “women” being erased in favor of “people” for the ideological purpose of buttressing gender ideology, the BBC has now upheld “20 impartiality complaints” against Croxall. According to the BBC: “BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) said it considered her facial expression as she said this gave the ‘strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter.’”
READ: BBC rebukes newscaster for correcting ‘pregnant people’ with ‘women’ on air
In other words, as a woman, Croxall obviously objected to the implication that men can get pregnant. Croxall has a son and has thus been pregnant herself. But in our current clown world, the Executive Complaints Unit “said it considered Croxall’s facial expression laid it open to the interpretation that it ‘indicated a particular viewpoint in the controversies currently surrounding trans identity.’”
Indeed. That “particular viewpoint” would be that only women can get pregnant.
The totalitarian trans activists desperately trying to force society to play along with their delusions with force or coercion were behind the complaints, with the ECU reporting that Croxall’s facial expressions were “variously interpreted by complainants as showing disgust, ridicule, contempt, or exasperation.” In other words: Say your lines the way we gave them to you and look like you believe them, bigot.
The ECU was also concerned that those who, you know, disagree with the idea that men can get pregnant were also pleased by Croxall’s act of defiance, and that she received “congratulatory messages” on social media (including one from J.K. Rowling), which “together with the critical views expressed in the complaints to the BBC and elsewhere, tended to confirm the impression of her having expressed a personal view was widely shared across the spectrum of opinion on the issue.”
Clearly the BBC—which is desperately been trying to regain its reputation—is attempting to wave the fig leaf of “neutrality” in order to reestablish its previous bona fides. But rebuking a female presenter for correcting an ideological script and making a facial expression that appeared to indicate opposition to the idea that men can get pregnant isn’t “neutrality,” by any stretch.
Just a decade ago, no media outlet would have considered implementing gender ideology into their coverage as fact. Now presenters are expected to use fundamentally propagandistic language that frontloads the premises of activists while keeping a straight face as if both transgender ideology and observable biological reality are two perspectives deserving of equal respect and consideration.
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