Guelph-Eramosa Township has updated its open air burning bylaw.
On May 15 council accepted a report from the Guelph-Eramosa fire department outlining the new bylaw and also voted to put the new bylaw into affect.
“The purpose and intent of bringing this bylaw forward is providing further clarity, correcting staff identified inconsistencies in terms of open air burning requirements and much in simplifying regulations,” said fire preventions officer Mathew Williamson at the meeting. “There has been no identified history, fire trend or otherwise issue with respect to the overall administration of the bylaw.”
Guelph-Eramosa residents are permitted to have cooking or recreational fires on residential lots at any time of day as long as there is a three metre (10 feet) setback from any building, structure, hedge, fence, road, overhead wire, trees or obstruction of any kind. The fire can be no larger than 1m in diameter and an adult must be present at all times.
“It’s held to a smaller size, it is really intended that it be a recreational type of fire so it’s your typical campfire in the backyard, cooking fire in the backyard, that type of thing that the bylaw now allows for and we know has always historically taken place in our community,” Williamson said.
“We just provide some governance and regulation around those types of fires.”
An open air burning permit is required for any fire in the township that does not meet the requirements for a cooking fire, barbecue or recreational fire.
Fires requiring a permit must be at least 7m away from any buildings, structures, hedges, fences, roads, overhead wires, trees or obstructions of any kind. The fire pit must not exceed 3m by 3m (10ft by 10ft.) These fires must be ignited after 7am and extinguished before 9pm.
“I just wanted to thank Mathew, Jim (Petrik) and John (Osborne) for putting up with us and going back and forth,” said councillor Corey Woods. “I think this makes it a lot clearer and I think it makes it a lot better.
“One of the things we enjoy in a rural municipality is burning stuff so I appreciate you working with us to make that a little bit easier.”
