Petition igniting hope to allow backyard fires in Waterloo

In Waterloo, a bylaw does not allow residents to light a campfire in their backyard, however, an online petition hopes city officials will reverse the bylaw. 

Ryan Hammar started the petition and during Kitchener Today with Brian Bourke on 570 NEWS. He mentioned having a fire in his backyard would mean a lot to his family as they spend a lot of time outdoors, especially now with their outdoor ice rink.

“My oldest plays high-level hockey and has no problem being out there even in minus 20 degrees, but my 8-year-old is like 'you know what, it's minus two, I'm going inside to play video games,' so if I had a fire he would warm back up and go back on the rink.” 

On January 18, Waterloo will hold a special council meeting, and Hammar is planning to go and state his case. “Because it's not just me who feels this way, so I'm going to take steps to get this bylaw amended.” 

Earlier on Tuesday, during The Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS, Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky said the earliest time frame for a bylaw change would be in the six to nine-month time frame. 

“We also have to worry about resourcing it because we don't have people to do the education now, or do the inspection, or even a system to do permits as other cities do, so we would have to invest in all that.” 

Waterloo used to allow backyard fires in the past, but with students being drawn to the city each year, issues involving health and safety started to come up. 

“Students enjoyed backyard fires, and in some cases a little too much, particularly in April when it came time to get rid of the furniture,” said Jaworsky. 

Jaworsky added with the ongoing pandemic, the focus right now for the city is to make life easier for all residents, including frontline workers. 

“So we don't want our firefighters or bylaw officers going out to responses to gatherings, and you know campfires are great, especially for gatherings, and that's something at the public health perspective we don't want right now.”

However, Hammar feels with the province-wide lockdown a backyard fire would support mental health, and allow residents to not feel cooped up at home. 

To learn more, or to sign the petition, CLICK HERE.