Councillors back new fire pit petition calling for 'better' enforcement of rules, not curfew

One of the city councillors who voted against the new 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. fire pit window has started a petition calling instead for "better" enforcement of the existing rules theoretically governing people's use of pits.

Ward 10 councillor Zach Jeffries launched the online petition last week, just days after the councillors narrowly approved the curfew in a 6-5 vote.

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"The current bylaw already states that open air fires must be 'reasonably supervised' and must be extinguished if they cause 'an unreasonable interference with the use and enjoyment of another person's property,'" the petition page states.

"With this in mind, we believe that the current bylaw should be better enforced instead of enacting a new bylaw that restricts the actions of all because of the carelessness of a few."

It concludes by calling the 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. time window"arbitrary."

Time window not law yet

Jeffries, alongside councillors Randy Donauer, Darren Hill, Cynthia Block and Troy Davies, voted against the curfew, while Mayor Charlie Clark and councillors Hilary Gough, Sarina Gersher, Bev Dubois and Mairin Loewenvoted successfully to push the time window through.

It still needs to be put into law, however, a point singled out by Hill, a vocal supporter of the petition.

"This decision is not finalized until the bylaw is passed," Hill wrote on his Facebook page Saturday. "This is not about being upset about losing a vote in council. It's about doing what is right."

A council vote on actually putting the curfew into law is expected to take place in early 2018.

'Great family recreation' activity

Neither Jeffries nor Hill has specified what kind of tougher enforcement they're calling for.

But the Saskatoon Fire Department says it's considering allowing firefighters who deal with most fire pit complaints to issue tickets for improper burning or pits. They currently can't do that; only fire inspectors can, a roadblock Dubois called a "huge" impediment to enforcement.

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Like Donauer who before the vote said that "some people want afternoon kids' wiener roasts" Jeffries' petitiondraws partly on themes of family.

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"Roasting marshmallows and telling stories around a backyard fire are great family recreation activities and when done respectfully, shouldn't impact neighbouring properties," the petition reads.

It had garnered 757 digital signatures as of Sunday.

Anti-curfewpetition at 8,500+ signatures

Another petition launched earlier in the week by an anti-curfew resident calling for the Fire and Protectives Serves Bylaw to remain curfew-free had amassed over 8,500 signatures as of Sunday.

That's about 3.5 per cent of the city's population, assuming all the people who have signed that petition actually live in the city.

• Backyard fire restrictions fuel interest in online petition

Jeffries, in a Facebook post last Thursday, said he was disappointed by the nature of debate on social media following the curfew vote, calling some of it "downright ugly and unbecoming of who we are as a community."

"No matter your point of view, let's try to be reasonable," he wrote. "Next time you sit down in front of a keyboard, take few thoughtful seconds before you hit that send button."