Why a by-law on heating with wood?

Pollutants from burning wood, including fine particles, have harmful health effects such as:

• Aggravation of asthma
• Childhood bronchitis
• Lung cancer 
• Premature death in people with chronic heart or respiratory disease

This is why the city introduced a by-law on wood-burning stoves in 2015. Since then, the use of wood-burning appliances or fireplaces during smog warnings is prohibited. Please note: If your fireplace is non-compliant, the ban is in effect at all times.

A significant impact 

From 2009 to 2019, Montréal collected samples to assess the impact of the city’s wood heating by-law on air quality. The data show a reduction in emissions from wood burning, which shows that the use of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces has been reduced since the first by-law was adopted in 2009. For the 2018-2019 period, there was a 35 per cent reduction in a tracer from wood combustion as compared with the 2017-2018 period. The number of winter smog days is also down: There were only two in 2018 compared with 27 in 2008.