Port Moody moved a step closer Tuesday to joining the rest of the municipalities in Metro Vancouver in banning outdoor fires.
On Tuesday, Port Moody council gave three readings to an amendment to the city’s fire protection and emergency response bylaw to prohibit any open-air burning of wood, grass and garden clippings, tree trimmings, waste material from construction sites, garbage, rubber, tires or plastic. Violators would face a $250 fine.
But the city has come that close to banning fires before.
A ban proposed in 2015 by then fire chief Remo Faedo got three readings in council, then was sent back to staff for more work before it could be adopted. At the time, council said it needed more public input and research information about the safety and health concerns regarding outdoor burning.
A report by Port Moody Fire Chief Ron Coulson presented to council June 8 said there are myriad risks from open fires.
Coulson said Port Moody firefighters responded to 133 calls for breathing problems and another 104 calls for chest pains in 2016. He said the department receives more than 50 burning complaints every year.
One elderly resident told council there are already days she can’t leave her home because it’s hard for her to breath because of smoke and pollution. Allowing her neighbours to have campfires or burn debris only makes it worse, she said.
Coulson also said the city’s proximity to forests and wildland vegetation puts it at risk for a calamitous wildfire like the one that destroyed more than 2,400 buildings and forced the evacuation of 80,000 people from Fort McMurray, Alta. last year. That fire is the single most expensive insured disaster in Canadian history, costing more than $3.58 billion in claims, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
“While the probability of an interface fire is somewhat low, the consequences that can be suffered are extremely high,” Coulson said in the report, adding outdoor burning has been banned in Coquitlam since 1990 and was banned in Burnaby in 2004. Burning bans also exist in every Lower Mainland community from Bowen Island to Langley Township, and outdoor fires are only allowed on three specific properties in Maple Ridge.
Still, one councillor said residents should be allowed to enjoy a campfire in their yard if their neighbours don’t mind.
“I think there’s a middle ground,” said Coun. Rob Vagramov, who was the only councillor to vote against the bylaw amendment.
