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Maple Ridge's wood burning households fret about regulations

Metro burning bylaw aimed at protecting air quality
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An employee gets a wood stove burning at Warm Hearth in Maple Ridge.

People who burn wood for heat in Maple Ridge worry about new local government regulations, according to a longtime fireplace installer in the city.

With the arrival of cool weather, Metro Vancouver is asking residents to "help keep the air clean in urban neighbourhoods and reminding them of the requirement to follow clean burning practices and register their wood-burning fireplaces, stoves, or furnaces."

Metro says wood smoke from residential indoor wood burning can harm community health and is the largest source of fine particulate matter emissions in the region. It contributes more than a quarter of the total annual regional emissions, and is the second top source of toxic air pollutants. 

In 2020, Metro adopted a bylaw to reduce the health and environmental impacts of wood burning. It requires residents to declare the use of best burning practices and register wood-burning devices online. The final phase, starting in September 2025, will prohibit the use of unregistered devices in urban areas.

Rick Springer has owned Maple Ridge's Warm Hearth Heating Centre for almost 25 years, and said the new regulations are a concern to people who burn wood for heat. When they purchase wood stoves or fireplace inserts, he has long conversations with customers.

"They want to know whey they have to register, and whether they will continue to be able to use them in the future," said Springer.

Springer said there are still thousands of rural households in Maple Ridge, the Langley area, and South Surrey that either have wood-burning fireplaces, or use wood as the principal source of heat.

"In east Maple Ridge, easily half of households use wood on a regular basis," he contends.

Telling them they can't use a fireplace is akin to saying they can't use a second bathroom – it's a feature of their home they've always considered an asset, he said.

Springer said a wood fireplace during an emergency remains an excellent source of backup home heat, light, and even a way to cook food during an extended power outage.

Springer's recommendation is for people with fireplaces to get a wood burning insert. These will burn longer, create more heat with less wood, and lower emissions.

What's more, Metro has a rebate program that offers up to $600 for an EPA certified wood-burning appliance, to replace an uncertified one – such as an open hearth. Information is available at metrovancouver.org. 

"Especially in our wet climate, there's no better way to heat your house," he said.

Metro’s air quality and climate action programs aim to prevent air pollution by regulating air contaminant emissions, including greenhouse gases, to protect human and environmental health.

If you live in an urban area, Metro asks that you follow best burning practices and register your wood-burning device online – it’s free and takes approximately five minutes to complete. See metrovancouver.org/fireplace



Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
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