Because this petition actually didn't include any information about what the permits were I'll include some information as well as some questions I have in this post.
The open air permit fees were approved by Finance and
Administration Committee on November 17, 2015 and have been
included in the 2016 Miscellaneous User Fee By-law. Permit Fee
Revenue of $10,000 was included in the 2016 approved
operating budget.
It's aim is to provide a database of open burning locations, and improve firefighter health and safety of both firefighters and citizens.
There is a long history of open burning which has caused people to believe it is their right and not a privilege.
According to the bylaw information there is a history of GSFS (Greater Sudbury Fire Services) being alerted by complaints in an after-the-fact basis. This caused some calls based on the nature of the complaint to issue an entire 15 man firefighter team. This is a costly practice which also commits precious resources which may be needed elsewhere for emergency response. The bylaw is a means to allow the GSFS to be proactive about controlling open burning not following bylaw procedure rather than reactive.
The fee is designed to be a cost-recovery amount and not to necessarily generate profit for the GSFS.
It sucks that people who abide by the bylaw are now forced to pay for the fault of those who did not. Maybe a permit system isn't the right way to go about it, but at least they are providing some valid reasoning. The biggest shift is going to be from people who aren't following the bylaw to people who just didn't apply for a permit. Does anyone have the information on what the penalty for this is? Anyone able to bring up the information on the Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O 1990 c. P.33 as amended?
How long does a permit last? It seems the fire chief is able to issue it and provides a date of expiration. Is this a yearly fee, a per-basis fee? Does it depend on the type of open burning we are doing? This is more than just firepits, we're also talking about crop residue, and many other types of open burning.
What about the cost of the permit? If we are accounting for $10,000 revenue for 2016 to cover the previous costs of responding to open burning that did not follow the by-law are we to expect an adjustment in the years to come?
change.org
Because this petition actually didn't include any information about what the permits were I'll include some information as well as some questions I have in this post.
It's aim is to provide a database of open burning locations, and improve firefighter health and safety of both firefighters and citizens.
There is a long history of open burning which has caused people to believe it is their right and not a privilege.
According to the bylaw information there is a history of GSFS (Greater Sudbury Fire Services) being alerted by complaints in an after-the-fact basis. This caused some calls based on the nature of the complaint to issue an entire 15 man firefighter team. This is a costly practice which also commits precious resources which may be needed elsewhere for emergency response. The bylaw is a means to allow the GSFS to be proactive about controlling open burning not following bylaw procedure rather than reactive.
It sucks that people who abide by the bylaw are now forced to pay for the fault of those who did not. Maybe a permit system isn't the right way to go about it, but at least they are providing some valid reasoning. The biggest shift is going to be from people who aren't following the bylaw to people who just didn't apply for a permit. Does anyone have the information on what the penalty for this is? Anyone able to bring up the information on the Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O 1990 c. P.33 as amended?
How long does a permit last? It seems the fire chief is able to issue it and provides a date of expiration. Is this a yearly fee, a per-basis fee? Does it depend on the type of open burning we are doing? This is more than just firepits, we're also talking about crop residue, and many other types of open burning.
What about the cost of the permit? If we are accounting for $10,000 revenue for 2016 to cover the previous costs of responding to open burning that did not follow the by-law are we to expect an adjustment in the years to come?
The permit is for one year, and needs to be renewed for $25 each year after the initial assessment (which is $50).
Thankyou for the information.
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