On October 1st, 2018, the city of Montreal put in place a new by-law respecting wood burning fireplaces. Why, you might ask? Because wood burning creates the second most amount of fine particle pollution (39%) after vehicle emissions (45%).

From now on, if you want to cozy up by the fire in the below-listed 19 boroughs, you will either need a fireplace compliant to the new regulations of a maximum emissions rate of 2.5 grams per hour, or, have a propane, natural gas or pellet stove/fireplace. (They are not affected by the bylaw.) You can find out if your fireplace meets the 2.5 grams per hour requirement by searching for it on these lists provided by the EPA or the CSA. If your stove was installed pre 2009, it is likely not compliant.

If your fireplace does not comply with the new regulations, you have the choice of either:

1. Not using it (unless there is a power outage of more than 3 hours, in which case you can use it until the power is back.)
2. Replacing it with a new fireplace that respects the new regulations (In which case you can get a tax credit from the Government through a program called RenoVert).

Lastly, whether your fireplace is compliant or not, you must declare it to the city (unless it is a propane or natural gas stove/fireplace.) You can do so through the use of this form. It is also worth noting that even if you have a compliant fireplace, you cannot use it during a smog warning.

The new by-law that came into effect on October 1st, 2018 affects the 19 Montreal boroughs of:

• Ahuntsic-Cartierville
• Anjou
• Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
• Lachine
• LaSalle
• Le Plateau-Mont-Royal
• Le Sud-Ouest
• L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève
• Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
• Montréal-Nord
• Outremont