Wood-burning fireplaces facing bans

September 3, 2018

Starting this October conventional wood-burning fireplaces will be banned in Montreal and similar legislation is on the front burner in Metro Vancouver.
Other jurisdictions across Canada are also considering outlawing wood-burning fireplaces due to the potential health affects. The Canadian Lung Association says wood smoke can trigger respiratory conditions such as asthma and recommends wood not be burned in residential areas.
Montreal’s strict, new rules regarding wood-burning appliances are set to kick in this year—two decades after the heating systems regained popularity in the aftermath of the 1998 Ice Storm.
By October it will be illegal for Montrealers to use a “solid-fuel-burning heating system” unless the appliance has been certified as emitting no more than 2.5 grams per hour of fine particles into the atmosphere.
In Metro Vancouver, which this summer is hazed with smoke from massive forest fires, draft rules would prohibit burning wood at home during the summer months starting in 2020.
By 2022, wood-burning appliances would need to be registered and meet modern emission standards. By 2025, all unregistered appliances will not be allowed to burn wood.
The city of Vancouver, however, is also seeking to ban natural gas fireplaces in new homes in an attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.