Adoption of the first bylaw on wood heating in Montreal

Montreal, February 23, 2009

To the elected representatives of the City of Montreal

Re: Adoption of the first bylaw on wood heating in Montreal

Dear Sir or Madam:

We hereby wish to support the adoption by the City of Montreal of the first bylaw on wood heating in order to prevent a worsening of the air quality in Montreal, where winter smog episodes are multiplying on account of poor air quality. This is an essential first step for the thousands of people suffering from respiratory problems.

This winter, the conclusion is dramatic and inescapable concerning air quality: with 32 smog episodes already by mid-February, we have exceeded by far the previous smog record of 19 episodes, established in 2005.

Although it is clear that pollution sources are diverse, including transportation (14%) as well as industries (22%), wood heating (61%) is one of the main causes of smog in winter time.

When wood burns, more than one hundred toxic compounds are released into the atmosphere, of which the main pollutants are fine particles, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and numerous other irritants. Nowadays, the connection between fine particle emissions in the air, wood heating units and respiratory disorders is well established.

According to a study conducted by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec in Montreal, fine particles are responsible for 6,028 cases of infantile bronchitis each year and of 40,449 days of asthma symptoms. Health Canada estimates that 1,540 premature deaths in Montreal are caused by atmospheric pollution every year.

With over 50,000 wood stoves on its territory, and a great concentration in some boroughs such as Saint-Léonard, Rivière-des-Prairies/Pointe-aux-Trembles, Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Pierrefonds/Roxboro and Ahuntsic/Cartierville, the City of Montreal must take the necessary measures to protect the health of its residents. Forbidding the installation of new wood heating units is therefore an important first step to reach this objective. However, this initial bylaw, while essential to prevent the worsening of the air quality in Montreal, is not sufficient to remediate the problem that already exists. All signatories agree that the City of Montreal should go further, by adopting a bylaw requiring the current owners to replace their wood heating systems over the next seven years, by gas systems (natural or propane) or by pellet-burning stoves.

In conclusion, we hope that the City of Montreal's initiative will inspire the other municipalities of the greater Montreal region to adopt bylaws forbidding wood burning on the island of Montreal. 

Signatory organizations:
CRE-Montréal
Québec Lung Association
Equiterre
AQLPA
Greenpeace
Urban Ecology Centre (Montreal)
Comité de vigilance environnementale de l'est de Montréal
STOP
Allergy and Environmental Health Association of Quebec
Collectif en environnement Mercier-est

Source: Environment Canada