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Michael Richard with stove retailer Nergiflex in St. Laurent says ignorance on the topic is frustrating. PHIL CARPENTER

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Wood stove debate heats up in 'burbs

Montreal bylaw a bad precedent, store owner explains

JASON MAGDER
The Gazette
Thursday, February 12, 2009

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Michael Richard with stove retailer Nergiflex in St. Laurent says ignorance on the topic is frustrating. PHIL CARPENTER

The city of Montreal’s intention to ban all wood-burning stoves in new home constructions is misguided and irresponsible, says Leopold Bonin, who owns Poêles et Foyers Futuristes in Vaudreuil-Dorion.
Even though most West Island towns have said they so far have no plans to ban the appliances, Bonin thinks the city’s plan sets a bad precedent.
“There’s always someone who will start, and others will follow,” he said.
Montreal’s executive committee approved a proposed bylaw last week that would outlaw the installation of fireplaces and wood-burning stoves in new and existing homes. Stoves that use gas, oil, electricity or burn wood pellets will still be allowed. If passed, the bylaw would be among the strictest restrictions against wood-burning appliances in the country.
About 65 per cent of the products in Bonin’s store are wood-burning stoves, and about half his clients live on the Island of Montreal.
Bonin said the city should follow the lead set by major cities both in Canada and the U.S., including Vancouver, which have made the older types of wood-burning stoves illegal. Those cities have regulated that only stoves approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  are permitted. EPA-approved stoves cut down emissions by at least 85 per cent, but some can reach as high as 98 per cent.

At Nergiflex in St. Laurent, a salesperson there said his business won’t be seriously affected by the bylaw, because the company also sells gas and electric furnaces. However, he said he’s frustrated by what he says is ignorance on the part of the city.
“There’s a night and day difference between the bad stoves and the newer ones,” said Michael Richard, who heats his home with a wood-burning stove.
The frustrations of the wood-burning stove dealers was echoed by an industry spokesperson.
Ghyslain Bélanger, the general manager of the association des professionnels du chauffage, said his organization has been lobbying for 15 years for tougher standards to be imposed.
“We have been asking for years that there be a law to force people to switch to EPA-approved stoves,” he said.
“This bylaw by the city will do nothing to improve the air quality. People who have wood-burning stoves will keep them because they won’t be allowed to replace them.”
Quebec’s Environment Department is preparing a new law that would make it illegal to sell wood stoves that don’t meet standards issued by the Canadian Standards Association or the EPA.
The association des professionels du chauffage is offering a $300 grant to anyone who exchanges an old stove for an EPA-approved one. Bélanger said the federal government is also offering an additional $300 grant.
Bélanger called the  city’s bylaw “irresponsible,” and said more cities should follow the lead of Pointe Claire, which has regulated EPA-approved stoves for about 20 years.
Dollard des Ormeaux is considering following the Pointe Claire model, said Mayor Ed Janiszewski.
“This year, we’re educating out residents about the effects, and we hope to have a bylaw in place by fall,” he said.