Quebecer fined for truck he used to flee Fort McMurray wildifre
A man fleeing the Fort McMurray wildfire faced another setback after the long trip back home to Quebec.
Nick Van Tol, 21, and his girlfriend managed to escape the consuming wildfire. But they soon realized they couldn't stay in Alberta for long.
"We didn't really have any money for hotels or anything like that, so we just decided to drive back home," Van Tol said.
The truck Van Tol drove, which he describes as "a big Dodge diesel 3500 ... [with a] big lift kit and tires," is illegal in Quebec.
Although he knew this, he decided the dire circumstances of the major fire and his Alberta licence plate would be enough to justify driving the truck into the province.
But a few days after arriving in his hometown of Bonaventure, in the Gaspé, Van Tol was pulled over by the Sûreté du Québec.
"It's no excuse, it's real. I have no job, I have no nothing. I was forced out of my home," Van Tol said. "No one really knows what it's like to go through something like that."
Despite explaining his situation, a police officer sized up the truck with a tape measure and handed him a $311 ticket for having an illegal suspension.
Van Tol said he shouldn't have to modify his truck every time he crosses provincial lines. He added that his priority upon returning wasn't his vehicle's suspension, but rather recovering from being displaced by the fire.
"It really isn't an option right now," he said about bringing his truck in line with provincial laws. "I have to figure everything out with work."
Van Tol said he plans to contest the ticket.
