The Village of Point Edward is reviewing its open air burning bylaw and wants to hear what residents think about it.
Chief Administrative Officer Jim Burns said residents have until January 6, 2023 to share their thoughts.
"We're looking to have a bylaw that's easier for the public to understand and more subjective," said Burns. "So, we've attached a proposed checklist, nothing is final at this point, but it says if your fire needs to be a certain size, and a certain distance from boundaries, and buildings, and combustible materials. So, if we do get a complaint our fire department can go in and they can say, 'well, it meets all these criteria in the bylaw, so the fire is ok.'"
Burns said right now, if a fire is bothering someone, and there's a complaint, the fire is put out.
"There's no subjectivity to it. We feel that people should be able to have an open burn in their backyard on occasion, to a point, as long as it's under control and monitored."
Burns said they want to have a bylaw that everyone can live with.
"Right now there's no guidelines for the firefighters to use. Unfortunately, if there's a neighbour dispute then a neighbour can complain about another neighbour and the fire has to be put out. That's not necessarily how we feel it should be. We feel that if the fire is being conducted in a responsible way, then it should be allowed to happen."
Burns estimates village firefighters only respond to eight to ten open burn calls a year.
Residents have been asked to email their comments to Burns at jburns@villageofpointedward.com or drop them off in writing.
The municipal office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It will be closed on December 26, 27 and January 2. It will also close at noon on Friday's over the holidays.