Residents of Oak Bay, British Columbia, will soon have to permanently shut down their gas blowers.
Councilors from the southern Vancouver Island community voted Tuesday to phase out residential use of all gas-powered gardening tools over the next three years. The motion will go into effect in 2023, meaning residents have until the end of 2025 to replace old tools with newer technologies, such as power alternatives.
The motion was introduced by the Council. Tara Ney and mentions concerns about carbon emissions and noise. Ney said the three-year period offers time for power tool prices to go down in price.
“Technology will advance and costs will go down,” Ney said, speaking at City Hall on Wednesday.
Mayor Kevin Murdoch says making his voice heard now gives Oak Bay residents time to prepare.
“Once people know this, when they go to the store and their lawn mower is working or they need a new weed mower, they’ll say, ‘Well, hey, I really should be looking for an electric option right now. “. ‘” said Murdoch. “It will be an organic change over the next three years.”
In 2021, the council voted to phase out the use of carbon-producing gardening equipment by municipal workers by 2025. This week’s decision also comes in the wake of a 2021 petition filed by Oak Bay resident Francis Landy calling for a ban on residents’ use of gas blower blowers.
On Wednesday morning, this petition had 670 signatures.
Concern for noise, pollution
Oak Bay residents are currently allowed to operate a gas blower between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays and between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays, according to district regulations.
“Noise is a very underestimated health problem,” Landy told BC Today on Wednesday.
The petitioner said he was “overwhelmed” to see the council approve the motion, which he said could help people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or tinnitus.
According to WorkSafeBC, noise levels above 85 decibels on average for eight hours can damage your ear, and lawn mowers and leaf blowers can pose such risks.
According to the California Air Resources Board, a public agency set up to combat air pollution, the use of a gas-fired leaf blower for an hour emits as much pollution as smog as a sedan. modern driving 1,770 kilometers.
Oak Bay is not alone in its drive to eliminate gas-powered garden tools.
A noise law in 2004 banned the use of gas leaf blowers in the West End area of Vancouver, making it the first neighborhood in Canada to ban the devices.
In July 2021, a survey by Research Co. 800 British Colombians showed that 34%, about a third, were in favor of a municipal ban on gas lawn mowers, while more than 44% were opposed. But support for banning gas-blown blowers was greatest on Vancouver Island, where 48% of respondents were behind the idea.
Half of those surveyed said they were concerned about noise pollution associated with using “a lot” or “fair amount” of gardening equipment, while 40% said the same about air pollution.
Murdoch said he believes neighboring jurisdictions will continue to do the same and will also start banning gas-fired garden equipment now that Oak Bay has made its decision.
The mayor also said district staff will prepare a report for the council with details on how to enforce the ban when it comes into force.
Murdoch said municipalities do not have the authority to regulate environmental issues, only the provincial government, and staff will work with the province to figure out how to structure the Oak Bay statutes to make it a reality.