Calls for 11 p.m. fire curfew to stop smoke, noise

A longtime Jasper resident is fed up with campfire smoke filling his apartment and is asking the town to implement a 11 p.m. curfew on backyard fires.

The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous following a spate of vandalism, said there are a number of children with severe asthma in his neighbourhood, and the campfire smoke is irritating the condition. When the weather is hot, he cannot open his windows at night because his house fills with smoke.

“You have to be considerate of your neighbours. Parks Canada has a no fire after 11 p.m. rule and that might not be a bad idea.” the man said. “There are two kids who are severely asthmatic and seniors in the neighbourhood... This is the worst its been in our neighbourhood.”

He has spoken to friends in other neighbourhoods who are having similar problems, but thus far, the man is the only one to bring his concerns forward to the authorities.
He has called the police about the smoke in the past, but hasn’t had a lot of luck.

“You call the police, they put the fire out and 10 minutes later the fire’s up again,” he said. “You can’t call bylaw at 2 a.m.”

After calling the police, the man’s property was vandalized the next day.

“They threw bricks off of the retaining wall,” he said.

Enjoying a fire in a national park should not be prohibitive, he said, as he has a fire pit in his backyard, however it’s gas powered.

“I want to enjoy the fire when it’s cool, but I didn’t want to inconvenience my neighbours,” the man said.

“My concern is with the smoke, but also the noise,” the man said.

The man sympathizes with young people who hold campfires. He said when he was growing up he had a location for campfires that didn’t bother the neighbours.

“It’s different for kids these days. Before, the kids used to go out to Lake Annette and have a fire and it wouldn’t bother anyone,” he said.

Manager of Bylaw Services Doug Rodwell said the smoke issue is covered under the town’s nuisance bylaw. He said it would be up to council to determine if an 11 p.m. campfire curfew would be necessary.

Rodwell encourages those with complaints to call bylaw to alert them of the problem. He said this is the only complaint he’s received about campfires, but encourages everyone to let bylaw know about nuisance complaints.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if there are others, but I encourage residents to advise bylaw of any problems they have.

“If you’re going to have a fire, do so respectfully and don’t party every night, and you won’t have a problem,” Rodwell said.