Our Story
OUR STORY
In 2000, we bought a home to
enjoy our retirement in. It was
perfect for us! Everything on one
floor, a surrounding deck, and a
large expanse of lawn.
Little did we know that, in 2002,
our lives would be changed
dramatically!
Beginning in 2002, our home
became surrounded and infiltrated
by wood smoke from our
neighbour.
There was no help in getting this
smoke stopped. Everywhere we
turned we received sympathy but
were told there was nothing they
could do.
We were told that it was an issue
to be dealt with at the municipal
level.
Approaching the municipality and
asking for help gave us more
sympathy but no action. The
people we talked with said it was a
‘civil matter’.
We called the Building Inspector
repeatedly about the height of the
chimney and were told it met code.
What do you think? Did it?
We spoke, both in person and by telephone, to the neighbours
telling them that the smoke was getting into our house and
making life almost unbearable . The response was to ‘keep your
windows closed’. We tried to explain that the smoke gets in
through the furnace intake, spaces under doors, etc.
They then said they would not stop burning , would burn what
they want and to sue them if we didn’t like it… which we finally
ended up doing.
We obtained a temporary court injunction in May of 2005.
Trial is pending.
The next photo shows a diverter added to the chimney that
directed the smoke at our house.
We approached our local council
and they decided that the chimney
needed to be raised and thought
that would solve the problem.
The chimney was raised, but the
problem continued as the burning
increased and the smoke billowed
out day and night.
There was no escaping the smoke
and the stench. Many nights I
would sleep with my head under
the sheets hoping to escape the
irritants of the smoke.
I had burning eyes, a continual
sore throat and nasal irritation that
led to many sinus headaches and
infections.
The brick chimney was originally
an outdoor barbeque, that I never
saw ever used.
He added, what I like to call, a
‘plastic room’ around it and
attached it to the side of the
house.
The plastic room was made of
materials, he told the press, that
he obtained from a greenhouse
that was being rebuilt.
The roof, also, is made of some
type of corrugated plastic.
The plastic room remains to this
day.
He then decided to add a wood
stove instead and had it built in
the far corner of the plastic
room.
This chimney pipe was too
short and the council, once
again, dealt with him and he
raised it by about 5 feet. They
had him replace the chimney
cap, hoping it would deflect
the smoke away. It didn’t.
Perhaps he was upset about
this as he removed the cap the
next day and burned up a
storm.
The cap was later put back on.
The next few slides show some of the materials that
were stored in the yard in various places.
Most were partially covered but some piles were just
thrown together.
These piles contained treated wood, plywood, red
barn wood, plastics, and scraps.
The smoke was nauseating and the colour of the
smoke varied by what was being burned.
I knew then that we would have to do something!
Our ordeal began in 2002 .. Interlocutory Injunction obtained in
May of 2005
I can tell you first-hand what it is like when one is forced to deal
with a smoke issue, as I have lived through it.
I can tell you that the stench permeates your entire home, your
clothing, your hair, and you can even taste it.
Exposure to the smoke was extremely uncomfortable and caused
burning eyes, dry throat, irritation of the nasal passages and
headaches. When the smoke stopped, so did the symptoms.
There was no relief by opening windows because the acrid smells
were like a fog covering our house. Buying expensive air cleaners
did nothing to remove the odours.
There was no enjoying the deck and yard as long as the wood
burning stove was in operation.
As there was no provincial or municipal authority to whom we could turn
to for help, we were forced to resort to the courts.
In order to get the smell of the wood smoke out of the house, we
removed and replaced the carpeting, ductwork, the furnace and air
conditioning unit, and cleaned all surfaces including the walls.
Mattresses and pillows were discarded as they smelled of wood smoke.
It was an expensive project.
I can tell you the fatigue my husband felt after working all day and then
going to our house until near midnight day after day to work on the
renovations. Myself, I had all the clothing and every knick-knack and
assorted other household objects to wash before bringing them back to
the house.
I came to notice that there were absolutely no cobwebs in a house that
had been vacated for so long. I can only assume that something in the
smoke killed the spiders because, now that we have the Injunction and
there is no burning, I again have cobwebs.
 We were fortunate enough to have the means to seek legal
help. Remember that there was no provincial or municipal
authority which we could turn to for help. What would
happen to those that cannot afford legal help? Would they
be forced to move out of their homes? Could they afford to
do that? Would they be able to sell their home when a
potential buyer saw or smelled the smoke? Or, would they
have to remain in their homes with their children and
become sick? It's a thought that is very disturbing to me.
 I think it is high time that our municipalities give some
thought to banning all wood burning in residential areas. I
fail to see how the public interest is served by permitting
the unnecessary fouling of the air we all have the need to
breathe.
To those of you that think this kind of thing could never happen to
you, think again! It can happen almost overnight and not one family
is guaranteed that they won’t end up in the same position as we did.
Many municipalities have a ‘no outdoor burning’ bylaw, yet the
smoke from indoor burning is released into the air and permeates
throughout neighbourhoods and gets into neighbours homes. There
is no escaping it, inside or out. Where is the help for the victims? The
victims of smoke are a majority. The burners are not. Why is it so
difficult to ban wood burning in residential areas?
There is no smoking in public places now, yet the smoke from wood
burning is far more dangerous and travels for miles, exposing
everyone to its dangerous toxins. Does this make sense to anyone?
Those municipalities that feel that a bylaw telling people what they
can burn in their fireplaces and wood stoves is a good one are dead
wrong. As you can see in my photos, you cannot control what people
are burning in their homes.
Shirley Brandie s.brandie@sympatico.ca
Web site: http://WoodBurnerSmoke.net
Please
End
Wood Smoke
Pollution