Thoughts arising from Christmas tree bonfire 

Does New Tecumseth care about pollution and climate change?

Letter from Elaine Stephenson, Tiny Township

I would like to share an exchange my husband and I had with the Town of New Tecumseth recently.

On January 8, 2016, CTV Barrie News reported that Alliston was planning a community bonfire burning Christmas trees. There would be refreshments and the fire department would be there etc., etc., all in celebration of Twelfth Night.

We were surprised. We wondered whether the town’s leaders had thought about the implications of this event in light of the concern over clean air and climate change. We sent each member of council in New Tecumseth an email about these issues, asking why they would plan such an event and suggesting that they please, think twice before playing a part in pollution while disposing of a beneficial resource, such as mulch, to name one.

Councillor Donna Jebb responded with a lengthy explanation of the tradition of Twelfth Night in Victorian England. She did not address our concerns – not a word about the environment.

Next, from Councillor Fran Sainsbury: She declared they have more mulch than they know what to do with and said they do use and sell mulch in conjunction with the County. She too mentioned “tradition” and that the event is mainly to gather with their neighbours. Then she added: “Because of the changing face of OUR Nation it will not be an issue much longer. I hope we can get China on the program to clean up the air on our planet in the near future, we cannot be expected to save this planet at the expense of the taxpayers of Ontario forever!”

This was shocking to us. Leaving aside the issue of whether the “changing face of OUR nation” implies that Christmas (trees) may longer be an issue, the important question is – does she really believe that until China cleans their air up, we can’t be blamed for our contribution to excess carbon and should not do anything to save our planet?

We replied: “Thanks for your reply. We are stunned!”

Next, from Deputy Mayor Jamie Smith: “I just want to point out that a burning tree and a mulched tree ‎release the same amount of carbon, albeit at different rates. The problem with burning is that it produces particulate and other pollutants.”

We replied that he is correct, adding an exhaustive explanation of the time difference between how long it takes nutrients to be released from burning vs mulching and how important it is to maintain a “balance”. We suggested David Suzuki’s book “The Sacred Balance” and copied all councillors.

Finally, Fran Sainsbury emailed to suggest that the “controlled burn” is an experience for new volunteer firefighters to gain more experience…” then noted: “The Town does not run this event, it is run by our 60-year-old Rotary Club.” She explained how much the Rotary Club has contributed to park improvements, museum and hospital. She offered, “If our residents wish it to stop then they can come before Council along with the Rotary Club and request this. We deal with issues at Council, not on the computer, one at a time. It has never been an issue.”

We appreciate the few councillors taking the time to respond to our concerns and respect the Rotary Club for putting on events that bring communities together. The whole issue is about the need for all of us to step up to what is a major ethical challenge for current generations and think carefully about the consequences of all our actions.