Locals will now be able to have a fire in their backyard free of charge. In a 4-2 decision, Woodstock Council voted to allow open air burning in the city with no fees, a five year permit renewal and you must get your indoor smoke alarm tested upon site inspection. They also voted to add a medical concern component. Councillor Paul Plant says he just couldn't justify charging residents a fee for the permit. "There were a lot of people that were single mothers or people that were on a fixed income that were saying you know, I only do it six times a year or so and it's cheap entertainment and I have some of my older friends that live in apartments come over and especially the every year thing, it just seemed like too much money." As for the in home smoke alarm inspection Plant says "far more people get seriously ill or die from, and we have a good case history in Woodstock that resulted in a private members bill that's having trouble getting through, of someone dying from that so if you're going out to check the fire pit, why not check something that counts 24/7, 365 days a year." Councillor Bill Bes stated he would like to see open air burning completely prohibited in Woodstock within the next 6-7 years.
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