It’s a great opportunity, not just for you, but for our entire community.
Our weather has been amazingly springlike for the last few weeks, and the crocuses and snowdrops are bringing smiles to the faces of those who are ready to be done with winter.
Unfortunately it’s also brought an increase in the number of backyard burns that people are lighting up on sunny, clear days, often in defiance of local bylaws specifically prohibiting these smoky nuisances. We often wonder if the people who light these fires bother to take a look around their neighbourhoods to see just how far the choking smoke they’re creating has travelled, hanging in the often still air, ruining the beauty of the day for kilometres around. Yes, it travels that far.
In the event that some think that’s their only option to get rid of yard and garden waste, we’ll take this opportunity to inform you that disposing of such waste is free at our Cowichan Valley transfer stations. That’s right, it won’t cost you a cent to gather the stuff up and dump it, legally, in a bin at Bings Creek. Think of the time it will take to make the trip as an investment in good neighbour relations.
One of the other things that is still blotting the sky with smoke this time of year is the emissions from woodstoves in the Cowichan Valley. To their credit, the Cowichan Valley Regional District is trying to filter this pollution by offering monetary incentives to people to switch out their woodstove for a heat pump. Rebates of up to $2,000 are available. Further rebates can be accessed through Better Homes BC and the Canada Greener Homes Grant program. We understand that not everyone can afford to change their home heating system, but if you’ve ever thought about making the change, now’s the time.
We’ve heard arguments from people over the years that they love the smell of wood smoke from chimneys and backyard fires as it reminds them of years gone by. To which we say, we’ll see your childhood nostalgia, and raise you a serious, sometimes life-threatening health condition.
In the Cowichan Valley, smoke gets trapped between our mountains, fouling the air we breathe. Cowichan has much higher rates of asthma and chronic respiratory illness diagnosis.
The right to burn shouldn’t outweigh the right to breathe.