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Open burning on large lots illogical

Open burning affects the environment and the health of our neighbours.
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Open burning on large lots illogical

The idea that large lots should be able to have open burning is totally illogical in this day and age.

If folks want to have large properties, they should be socially and environmentally responsible to their neighbours. Councillor Tom Walker called the proposed bylaw “a good trade off”. Of what? He is willing to trade off the good health of our environment so that large properties can keep their costs of land ownership down?

Society has deemed tobacco and alcohol bad for the environment and the health of those who use them or are affected by them in some less direct way. Accordingly, governments have placed special high taxes on these items to discourage their use and help pay the future costs that these products place on society.

The same principles apply to open burning. Open burning affects the environment and the health of our neighbours. The solution is obvious. Charge a permit fee for open burning that is so prohibitively high that chipping and composting become the attractive alternatives.

If any funds are collected from the burning permits, they can be used to reduce the property taxes for the rest of us.

Don Swiatlowski

North Cowichan