THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay is considering changes to its recreational burning permit in an effort to address concerns that have been raised from some residents.
An online survey is available until Oct. 18 on the city’s website for the public to share their views.
“With any kind of permits we get a small number of complaints so it's brought through city council that they wanted us to review the process, So, with that there’s public engagement, just to give the community a voice if there’s anything they want to see changed,” said Fire Prevention and Investigation captain Kevin Anderson,
“I don’t anticipate any major changes, we’ve got more than 8,000 permit holders with very few complaints, but, we were asked to review the process so I think it's due diligence to just review it and get public input, and, we’ll see what happens.”
Administration will be reporting back to City Council on Nov. 15 with options and potential solutions for outdoor, backyard burning.
Currently, permits are $30/year for open-air burning, and allow fires between 5 p.m. and 12 a.m. This was introduced in 2009.
Any outdoor burning within the city requires a permit. Rules and regulations are strictly enforced and failure to obtain a permit or follow the permit rules results in prosecution and fine.
For more information, and to complete the survey, visit the website
