A narrow vote by Saskatoon city council to restrict the hours of fire pits can be used has set off a heated debate.
Council voted by a 6-5 margin on Tueday to restrict the use of fire pits to between the hours of 5 and 11 p.m. CT.
The decision was made after some people expressed concerns over billowing smoke from neighbouring yards that would often force them to flee inside because of a plethora of health reasons.
Two petitions are now circulating online calling on city council to reverse its decision.
One, on change.org that was started in May when the issue first came up, has just over 8,000 signatures as of Friday morning.
The organizer, Heather Hickey, states in the petition there are already bylaws in place to deal with nuisance open fires in the city.
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Coun. Zach Jefferies, who voted against the change, has started a website to support the existing regulations.
Jefferies said that instead of enacting a new bylaw, the current bylaw should just be properly enforced.
Coun. Darren Hill, who also voted against the restrictions, said in a tweet this could be the start of a slippery slope.
“Slippery slope … fireplaces, wood burning furnaces, BBQs, smoking in your back yard! All we had to do was enforce existing bylaws,” Hill stated.
The Saskatoon Fire Department received just under 200 complaints in 2016, with only one ticket being issued.
The new bylaw still needs to be drafted and go to city council for approval.
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