Turn off your woodstoves: smog warning issued for Montreal

Turn off your woodstoves: smog warning issued for Montreal

Environment Canada has issued a smog warning for Greater Montreal, effective until further notice.

It is recommended that people with asthma or other respiratory ailments abstain from intense outdoor physical activity until the smog warning is lifted.

In Quebec, wood heating in winter is the main source of the fine particles that contribute to smog, far more than industry or motor vehicles. It is therefore recommended that those with fireplaces or woodstoves stop using them while a smog warning is in effect. If you live in the City of Montreal, you don't have an option: residents are required by law to stop using wood-fired stoves when there is a smog warning.

The smog warning punctuates what has been a string of overcast days. Skies should finally clear somewhat on Monday morning, though cloudcover will return by the afternoon and bring with it a significant amount of precipitation through Thursday.

 

I wonder how many people (who normally wouldnt) went out and got themselves some firewood this year in the hope of denying our prime idiot his carbon tax.

 

What's the main source in summer, I wonder..

 

No one ever talks about the real issue. Too many woodstoves>>>Too many people.

On a side note...is it ok for me & my family to freeze to death so someone doesn't have an asthma attack? If my pipes burst, will the smog agency pay for the damages?

 

This may be part of the issue.

Wood Stove Laws in Canada

EPA Certification

This is a US wood stove certification which regulates smoke emission levels, not safety, and a) doesn't apply in most of Canada,

 

i'm not seeing that on environment canada website?

 

more info here

 

This makes sense.

From the Environment Canada Page.
Info-Smog: local conditions and forecasts - Canada.ca

Smog warnings
There are several ways to check smog warnings:

• If a smog warning is in effect for your area, a statement will be posted on the weather forecast page for your location. Select your location on the Quebec - Weather Conditions and Forecasts by Location page.
• You can check the smog warning bulletin for all affected areas on the Public Weather Alerts for Quebec page.
• You can also subscribe to Twitter weather alerts: Twitter accounts by province/territory.

I'm sure this crazy wind we had along the seaway today may have helped to clear it out.

 

Yup, it's the proverbial elephant in the room.

 

My stove would pass and be exempt.

Am I the only one that noticed you actually told to register your stove to the government

 

Two elephants more:

They measure for the trigger value of smog deep in the urban hell hole for worst case scenario and then ban burning across vast swaths of land. Most of that area has sufficiently clean air. It is false to assume that all of the air is mixed up throughout the entire county or province or whatever. These pollution districts should actually be very small.

Second, the wood stoves are just one contributor. Transportation emissions accumulate during stagnant weather as well.

 

Is this a joke? No seriously.....waiting for the punchline

 

Not exactly a new regulation for some places (1986 article)...
ON A CLEAR DAY IN DENVER, YOU CAN SEE SMOG

I think Bozeman had similar regulations at that time, too.

 

Nope. Montreal required you to register your stove or fireplace a while back and I do believe new installe were severely limited or outright banned as well. The city of Burlington where I used to live stopped allowing new home builders to put in fireplaces somewhere around 1993 or 94. I bought my first house in 2001. It was 7 years old at the time. The houses that were built across the street had fireplaces but when mine was built, they weren't allowed to put them in anymore

 

Stupid.................................

You get the gooberment you deserve............................

Hopefully USA will not follow suit.

 

Here’s a recent piece by VT Public Radio

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Heating With Wood?

 

They didn't mention the importance of dry wood (fuel) once!

 

Dave they did if you click on the EPA best burning practices link..

 

Oh...well maybe ifn I'd actually read the article instead of just listened to the audio and looked at the pictures