Changes to fire pit rules on the way

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This article was published 22/06/2022 (1346 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Changes are coming to regulations surrounding Brandon’s outdoor fire pit usage.

Starting next year, users will be charged a $20 fee for fire pit inspection and licensing.

Effective sooner will be a restriction on the hours of the day fire pits can be used from noon to midnight, a ban on fire pit use when an air quality advisory has been issued by the province and the allowance for special permits for fire pit use outside the guidelines on religious or cultural grounds.

The changes were voted on during Monday’s city council meeting.

A resident of the University ward spoke during the community feedback portion of the meeting. He said he believed that Brandon should adhere close to Regina’s regulations regarding operating times of fire pits, that the city should reassess the size of its proposed fire pit buffer zones to be bigger, to shrink the size of allowed fire pits and for fires to be prohibited when wind speeds are greater than 25 kilometres an hour.

The man also said that family time around a backyard fire pit could be an important bonding time that shouldn’t be prohibited.

Coun. Glen Parker (Riverview) agreed with the resident’s assessment of having fires as a family activity, saying that stay-at-home vacations could be a greater concern this year because of the high price of gas. He wasn’t in favour of any of the proposed amendments.

“I feel for people who have irresponsible neighbours, but I think we just have to follow through with policing it a little better,” he said. “I think one thing we need to step up on is materials being used [for burning] like garbage, building materials, the smell of willow isn’t all that wonderful if anyone’s ever lit willow on fire.”

Several proposed amendments were brought to the floor, but most of them were defeated. That included allowing people to apply for a 90-metre buffer zone in which fire pits can’t be used.

Coun. Shawn Berry (Linden Lanes), who proposed that amendment, said people would have to provide proof of a medical issue to obtain a buffer zone.

Both Mayor Rick Chrest and Coun. Jeff Fawcett (Assiniboine) said there have been concerns regarding the exact size of buffer zones, asking whether the space would extend from the edge of a property or from the fire pit itself.

The amendment, and a proposed amendment to that amendment from Coun. Bruce Luebke (South Centre) shrinking the size of the proposed buffer zones to 36 metres, were defeated.

Parker said he thought the size of the buffer zones was unfair. He also wasn’t sure why there was a proposal to constrain fires from taking place after midnight, saying that at that point it’s probably more of a noise complaint during that time of the day.

Fawcett argued against Berry’s proposal requesting a prohibition on fires when winds are higher than 25 kilometres an hour, saying that in some parts of the city the wind is likely always at that level.

As a compromise, Coun. Kris Desjarlais (Rosser) proposed that fires be prohibited when a wind warning has been issued by the province, though it was never brought forward as an amendment.

Ultimately, the wind speed restrictions were defeated. So were amendments to limit the allowed operating hours for fire pits from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. and a time limit of 4 p.m. to midnight.

In terms of rule enforcement, Berry said he would followup with Brandon Fire and Emergency Services.

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