Editor’s note: While this story comes from the Comox Valley, the subject matter is of definite interest to Cortes and the other Discovery Islands. For most of our recorded history, wood fires have been the #1 heating choice on Cortes Island. A significant number of residents have switched to electric, heat pumps, or solar panels in the past few years. According to the Strathcona Regional District Engagement Summary Report, “In Electoral Areas A, B (Cortes), and C (primarily Quadra and the Outer Islands), about 50% used wood heat and 40% used electric with the remaining 10% using an alternative.“
By Madeline Dunnett, The Discourse, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Community members in the Comox Valley are calling for more education, awareness and tightened regulations related to wood-burning stove use in the region.
“We need to prioritize protecting the health of all people in the community. Your health risk shouldn’t be higher simply because of the air quality in the neighbourhood you live in,” said Breathe Clean Air Comox Valley in a Facebook post. It is a local group advocating for the phasing out of wood stoves in more populated areas and better wood-heating regulations.
While many remain divided over their use — with people wanting to continue burning and others looking to transition to different heating methods — air quality data from the Comox Valley Regional District shows that wood stove smoke is the most significant source of air pollution in the Comox Valley. The region is one of the lowest-ranked communities for air quality in B.C., according to the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD), and smoke from wood-burning stoves can impact the health of community members and contribute to climate change.
The use of wood-burning stoves to heat homes is a common practice in the region. The CVRD says wood is a prevalent and common fuel source in the Comox Valley because it is relatively affordable, reliable and readily available. But to address air quality concerns, the CVRD has plans to reduce emissions from existing wood-burning appliances and transition people away from using them in densely populated areas.
“[We] focused on trying to find actions that focus on supporting the community to have greater awareness of [wood stove] impacts,” said Robyn Holme, manager of long range planning and sustainability for the Comox Valley Regional District.
She said that through programs, such as the heat pump rebate program, the district is trying to encourage residents to heat their homes in a way that is beneficial to both the air quality and to lowering emissions.
“It definitely does seem to be a real hot button topic in the valley,” she said.
Comox Valley residents are for and against wood stoves
For Comox Valley community members, the topic of wood stoves can be touchy.
An anonymous Facebook post discussing air quality in the region received mixed responses from folks online. Some pointed to wood smoke as a contributor to poor air quality, while others questioned the quality of air monitor readings. Some compared the air quality in the Comox Valley to that of other places in the world, saying it’s not as bad as it is in larger cities or densely populated countries.
One commenter staunchly proclaimed their desire to burn, and said “Complaining isn’t going to make us stop burning wood.”
Others with underlying health concerns commented on how increased smoke can be harmful to them.
“While I appreciate that many of you want/need a woodstove, when it gets bad (especially when people aren’t using dry, well seasoned cut wood), in our case, we have to shut all our windows, make sure vents are closed to the outside and run an expensive air purifier,” one person responded to the Facebook post. “So while I appreciate that you say it isn’t a problem, for those of us with health issues it is a problem. Please be willing to see both sides of it.”
The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) received a $5,000 grant from the BC Lung Foundation and used it to purchase PurpleAir monitors to gather and share data about air quality in the region. The district says these monitors “provide real-time air quality data into a global air quality map, helping residents understand localized air quality levels.”
According to the CVRD, a growing body of evidence gathered since 2008 shows that air quality in the Comox Valley is concerning.There are high levels of fine particulate matter in the region, particularly in the fall and winter. This fine particulate matter is a pollutant containing microscopic particles that can cause serious health problems.
“There is no known safe level of fine particulate matter,” the CVRD says.
What is the Comox Valley Regional District doing?
Holme told The Discourse that the district has spent years working on its Regional Airshed Protection Strategy, which came about through the work of the Airshed Roundtable Project.
“That was a group of citizens [who] were convened to work through and identify … some actions that could be put together as a part of a plan to improve air quality,” Holme said.
The roundtable’s steering committee is made up of representatives from the municipality,various provincial ministries, Island Health and Vancouver Island University.
Members also include people from local groups such as Breathe Clean Air Comox Valley, Cumberland Community Forest Society and Comox Valley Nurses for Health and the Environment. Other business-oriented groups, including Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce and Manulife Investment Management, are members of the roundtable, as are individual community members.
The roundtable includes working groups that discuss next-steps for the future of the region, and many of those discussions are focused on education and awareness to improve air quality in the Comox Valley, according to Holme.
“It was a really interesting process,” Holme said. “This was meant to be a collaborative approach to developing a strategy to essentially tackle a very divisive issue.”
What came out of the roundtable in 2023 was the Regional Airshed Protection Strategy, a 54-page document that can be read online. It includes information on air quality and its impacts in the Comox Valley, as well as action that can be taken to protect the health of community members and the environment and make clean air programs accessible to all.
The action plan, outlined in the document, includes five goals for the Comox Valley: reducing emissions from existing wood-burning appliances, transitioning away from wood-burning appliances in densely populated areas, reducing emissions from yard waste burning and recreational fires, promoting and advocating for alternatives to non-residential open burning, expanding research data on particulate matter to inform actions and expanding wood smoke education programs.
Holme noted the district’s Wood Smoke Reduction Program, which offers an $1,800 rebate to residents who exchange their old wood-burning appliances for a more efficient heat pump. As part of the program, the district also offers free moisture meters to help residents ensure their wood is properly dried out before burning. These can be picked up at the CVRD office.
More tips on how to burn responsibly are available on the CVRD website. They include information on when to burn, backyard burning alternatives and how to burn.
Better education about wood burning and its impacts needed, community group says
Members of Breathe Clean Air Comox Valley want to ensure residents are better educated and aware of smart wood stove burning practices, and the group continues to advocate for the removal of wood-burning stove use in more populated neighbourhoods.
“In terms of what can be changed to improve air quality in our communities, quite simply, the goal is to phase out wood heating in more populated areas. This is a goal under the regional airshed protection strategy,” the group said in a Facebook comment in response to a post made by The Discourse.
The group also added that it is calling for better initiatives for low-income individuals to switch to cleaner heating methods, such as heat pumps.
“We need a lot more raising of awareness of the very real increased risk of health impacts of wood heating (and some on climate impacts). This builds support for change,” the group said.
“And we need regulations that clearly aim to phase out wood heating in our communities, with exceptions for emergencies. People will begin transitioning more from wood heat if all of these things are in place.”
Links of Interest:
- Articles about, or mentioning, Wood Stoves
- Articles about smoke from wood fires.
- Articles about, or mentioning, heat pumps
- Articles about, or mentioning, solar energy in BC
Top image credit: Wood stoves are cozy, but some Comox Valley residents are worried about their impacts on people’s health and the environment. Photo by Madeline Dunnett/The Discourse
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