Editor:
Sechelt has more air pollution than Vancouver. That is the only conclusion I can reach after living in the community for nearly half a year. I love Sechelt, but something needs to be done about the smog of wood smoke covering much of the community in winter. This air pollution is unnecessary and is endangering the health of seniors and those with lung-related issues. This includes at least two members of my own family, who struggle to breathe and avoided walking in the neighbourhood over the weekend as vacationers and families lit up numerous wood fireplaces for the appropriate seasonal ambience (despite record 11C temperatures).
Other communities in the province have taken action. Merritt imposed strict regulations on the installation of new fireplaces and wood-stoves in 2009. Home-owners were offered a grant to replace their existing inefficient fireplaces and all new installations had to meet new minimum standards.
This was done to cut down on chronic air pollution. Wood-burning fires emit a high level of particulate pollution, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants. The American Lung Association notes that wood smoke can cause coughing, wheezing, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and premature death.
Sechelt has had the benefit of strong sea-breezes and a low population density. These two factors have allowed the growing community to ignore the issue of wood smoke pollution, but it is becoming a serious problem, particularly in neighborhoods like Sandy Hook, where residents live on a slope. Often, one house’s smokestack is level with another resident’s windows or patio. A haze literally develops over some areas on calm days.
We can do better. While working in Norway in 2013, I enjoyed many wood fires, yet never noticed much air pollution due to logical regulations. We don’t allow this kind of pollution from cars and many in Sechelt drive electric vehicles. In a community where many homes are now valued over a million dollars, it should not be unreasonable to require some regulation of fireplaces. For the welfare of my family members, I urge municipal council to look into this issue.
Jed Anderson, Sechelt
