Decorative or ambient wood-burning fireplaces will be banned in Quebec

The City of Quebec plans to further tighten its air quality regulations by banning decorative or ambient wood-burning fireplaces on its territory.

The Marchand administration announced Monday that it will submit to the municipal council on Tuesday the adoption of the Regulation on solid fuel appliances (RVQ 3225).

This plan plans to prohibit the installation of decorative or ambient wood-burning fireplaces from January 1. Their use will no longer be permitted as of September 1, 2030.

Health effects

These fireplaces will now be considered non-certified solid fuel heating appliances since they emit as many fine particles as an open masonry fireplace.

Heating with wood and the use of decorative or ambient wood fireplaces contribute significantly to the emission of fine particles harmful to healthaffirms in a press release the vice-president of the executive committee responsible for the environment at the City of Quebec, Marie-Josée Asselin.

Decorative or ambient wood-burning fireplaces and masonry fireplaces are now eligible for financial assistance, as are first-generation stoves and fireplaces.

Owners will be able to obtain a reimbursement of up to 90% of the cost of purchasing a new certified heating appliance running on wood or pellets, for a maximum amount of $1,000.

Those who only wish to remove their home will be entitled to a $100 grant.

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Exchange space

The City of Quebec also announces the creation of an advisory commission on air quality on which elected officials and citizens will sit.

It will bring together the different actors having expertise or exercising influence relating to the sources of pollution and the solutions to control them.

The Commission […] will serve as a space for exchanges between the current environmental committees and convergence of various initiatives and action plansspecifies the Municipality.

Finally, it announces the imminent publication, on its website, of an air quality indicator on its territory, an initiative developed in collaboration with the Port of Quebec and the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against climatic changes.

Citizens will thus be able to read data on the concentrations of four substances of interest, firstly fine particles and nitrogen dioxide, considered by experts as the two priority contaminants to monitor and mitigate given their effects on health, and then nickel and total suspended particlesindicates the City of Quebec.

She adds that the information will be accessible on her site six months after data collection. The air quality indicator will be updated four times a year.

With the collaboration of Louis-Philippe Arsenault