There was some heated debate in city council chambers June 29 as the open air-burning bylaw was on the table for third reading and passed 4-3.
At the last city council meeting on June 15, Paul Therrien, chief human resources officer from the Burntwood Regional Health Authority (BRHA) and Margaret Allan, office manager of the Thompson Chamber of Commerce, came as a delegation to present arguments to city council why the bylaw should not be passed. The pair cited health and safety reasons and an overly vague bylaw to be the reason they wanted their objections on the record at the meeting.
During that June 15 meeting, the proposed open air burning bylaw went on to second reading, with the intention of it being tabled before the third and final reading and sent back to the public safety committee for further amendments.
Therrien and Allan were back at city council on June 29, again expressing their opposition to the bylaw. They explained their worries about open wood fires in back yards leading to the degradation of air quality, the risk to people's health, the legal risks and the risk to the environment the bylaw could create. They pointed out it could also cause safety issues in areas of the city where houses are grouped closely together.
Therrien and Allan stated that they were against the changes that the public safety committee had made to the bylaw, saying there was not enough thought put into it. The changes to the bylaw included the hours people are allowed to have a fire in a fire pit being from 6 a.m. to midnight and a $50 annual fee for an open air-burning permit. The public safety committee also changed the bylaw so it stated that fire pits must be made with fireproof products, and changed the rule that fires can't be set in windy conditions to the discretion of the fire chief, who will send out public notices if weather conditions would make open air burning dangerous. The bylaw also states that only charcoal or "cut seasoned wood" is allowed to be burned, not rubbish or leaves. Also, screens and grates may be required.
Allan told council that of the people she approached about the issue, 90 per cent weren't aware of the bylaw, and claimed that most people were against the idea of it. Therrien and Allan also said they had the signatures of almost 60 people who were against the proposed bylaw. Therrien and Allan urged a public forum information session such as city council has done with the plastic bag bylaw. They also suggested that city council overturn the bylaw and instead look at installing public fire pits in places like MacLean Park and Ravine Park.
Coun. Harold Smith voted in favour of the bylaw, stating that most people in the city of Thompson will not seek to abuse the opportunity to have a fire pit in their back yard, and also that he felt comfortable voting in favour of the bylaw because it will be annually reviewed.
Coun. Cory Young also voted in favour of the bylaw, saying it struck a good balance between risk and the ability for citizens to enjoy a fire in their back yards. He also was happy with the annual review the bylaw will be subject to. Young also mentioned he engaged many people on the issue and found the vast majority of them to be in support of the bylaw.
Coun. Judy Kolada, chair of the public safety committee who drafted the bylaw, voted in favour of it because of the changes that were made to the bylaw. She pointed out that she thought pollution would not be an issue with the bylaw because of the vast unpopulated area surrounding the city of Thompson.
Mayor Tim Johnston, who was linked to the council meeting electronically because he was out of town, also voted in favour of the bylaw.
Voting against the bylaw were councillors Stella Locker and Brian Wilson, and deputy Mayor Oswald Sawh. Wilson also voted by telephone electronically. They cited concerns over whether the bylaw would create more work for the fire department or bylaw enforcement officers. Locker pointed out that the bylaw was not a priority of city council in the past and disagreed with the timing of it, pointing out that with all the events going on this time of year people don't have time to become as engaged with public issues that affect them.
