Reducing Smoke Impacts

The City of Courtenay, Province of BC and individual homeowners are taking action to reduce smoke impacts. Here’s some of the measures that reduce the impacts of wood smoke in the community:

Best Practices for Using Wood Burning Appliances

If you have a wood-burning appliance, use best practices to reduce impacts:

  • Limit/reduce use – ideally to emergency back-up during power outages or extreme weather
  • Keep up to date with maintenance of the wood burning appliance, and chimney
  • Monitor to ensure smoke disperses before your property line
  • Use wood dried for six months with moisture content below 20 per cent. (Free moisture monitors are available through the Comox Valley Regional District’s Wood Smoke Reduction Program).

City Bylaws + Requirements

  • Nuisance Smoke: The City of Courtenay has nuisance smoke bylaws. Nuisance smoke is smoke that visibly drift onto adjacent property, interferes with a person’s use and enjoyment of their private property, or public property such as sidewalks, roads and parks. The City will work with residents to seek voluntary compliance, with enforcement measures used in cases of persistent non-compliance. More information: Prevention of Public Nuisances Bylaw[PDF - 155 KB] 
  • Wood Appliance Restrictions: The City of Courtenay revised bylaws to prohibit the installation of wood-burning appliances in new homes. Homes in the City of Courtenay with am existing wood-burning appliance may keep them or upgrade them. This prevents air quality from getting worse as the community grows.

Provincial Regulation

  • Open Burning – such as slash burning by forestry companies - is regulated by the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulations. This regulation requires that every reasonable alternative to burning be explored (chipping, mulching, recycling). Furthermore, burning is restricted in areas close to population centres, and to times of good atmospheric venting. For these reasons, smoke from these open burns has less of an impact on air quality in our community. Learn more: Province of BC: Open Burning

Improving Air Quality in Your Home

If you are impacted by poor air quality in your home, there are some measures you can take to improve conditions, including:

  • Use a portable air purifier;
  • Upgrade or replace the air filters in your furnace or central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system;
  • Avoid using exhaust fans or dryers when it is smoky outside as this will draw air into your home;
  • Open the windows, and air out your home when air quality improves, even if it is temporary. In the Comox Valley, winter air quality is best during the afternoons, when wood burning is less likely and atmospheric venting conditions are generally good.

More information: