Valemount trying to improve wood smoke reduction
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
The Village of Valemount’s Clean Air Task Force hopes recent changes to the Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program will entice residents to replace their wood stoves with cleaner heating options like heat pumps. Previously, the program required successful applicants to destroy their wood stoves, but Valemount’s program now allows them to keep their wood stoves as long as applicants sign a pledge to only use the stove if an outage or other circumstances prevent them from using their alternative heating method.
While the Village’s Clean Air Task Force recently voted to use its $23,000 in funding to bolster the Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program – a provincial funding stream which partially covers the cost of replacing a wood stove with a cleaner heating option – it is not yet clear how that funding will be used.
Wood smoke is a common contributor to PM2.5, also called fine particulate matter – airborne particles that if inhaled can cause lung irritation, shortness of breath, and aggravation of conditions like asthma and heart disease. In an effort to improve air quality in communities where wood stoves are common, the Ministry of Environment and Parks offers a rebate through the Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program to partially cover the cost of replacing their current wood stoves with heat pumps, pellet stoves or cleaner wood burning stoves.
The amount of the rebate varies slightly from community to community, with amounts determined based on how much the community would benefit from reducing wood smoke, the Ministry told The Goat in an email. In Valemount, homeowners are eligible to receive up to $2,000 to replace a wood stove with a heat pump, the Ministry said. Eligible homeowners include those who currently use wood stoves which are not EPA or CSP-certified. They must submit proof that the stove is currently in use, along with proof of installation, to receive the rebate.
In 2024, the Village of Valemount received three applications to the program, only one of which was successful. Of the remaining two, one was ineligible for the program, and the other applicant withdrew their application.
Those numbers are typical for the program, said CAO Anne Yanciw. According to her, the Village has seen about three applications per year over the last 10 years, with the exception of 2021, which saw seven successful applications out of 13 total submitted.
At the most recent Clean Air Task Force meeting on January 9th, committee members speculated that the low numbers of wood stove replacements may be due to financial issues. The task force, a committee of Council tasked with monitoring and improving Valemount’s air quality, is in charge of administering the Village’s Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program.
“We understand that there are barriers financially,” Corporate Officer and committee member Carleena Shepherd said at the meeting. “500 bucks is not going to get someone to cough up the other two or three grand to replace their wood stove.”
While there is no legislation barring the Village from subsidizing the entire cost of replacing a wood stove, the Province will not step in to cover the costs that exceed the maximum rebate from the Community Wood Stove Reduction Program, Yanciw told The Goat. The Ministry confirmed this in its email statement.
“We offer up to $2,000 in target communities to improve the affordability of upgrading to a cleaner more efficient appliance,” the statement reads. “Communities administering the program are able to add to the incentive amounts on top of the provincial funding if they choose, including subsidizing up to the entire cost of the replacement.”
Other reasons the committee believes may contribute to the low uptake on the program include the difficulty of getting a certified installer in Valemount, and hesitancy to switch to electricity-powered heat pumps, which would not work in the event of an outage.
The provincial coordinator of the program has allowed some leeway for applicants who want to keep their wood stoves, according to Yanciw. Along with the typical documentation required for the program – photos and proof of installation of the new appliance, along with documentation of Village permits allowing for the installation – these applicants can submit a pledge stating they will not use their wood stove unless an outage or other circumstances prevent them from using a heat pump.
However, the Village and Province have yet to find a solution to the issue of finding technicians who are willing to travel to small, rural communities to replace a wood stove. The program requires that technicians are Wood Energy Technology Transfer (WETT)-certified – that is, they must be qualified to inspect and replace wood-burning appliances. In recent years, it has been difficult to get WETT-certified technicians in Valemount, committee members said.
In its email to The Goat, the Ministry said it is aware of challenges in getting technicians in rural and remote communities. Valemount was one of 17 rural, remote or small communities to receive funding from the program in the 2024/2025 season, it added.
“We connected with several coordinators in remote communities one on one, including the Village of Valemount, to review and establish a road map and put together several exchanges to ensure the financial viability of securing technicians,” the Ministry said.
In the meantime, the Clean Air Task Force has voted to use its $23,000 budget to “bolster” the Community Wood Smoke Reduction Program. That could include subsidizing entire wood stove replacements or organizing educational initiatives, but according to Yanciw, the committee will discuss more details on how to use this money during its next meeting, scheduled for March 13th.
“The challenge is to decide how this potential $23,000 contribution to the [program] can be most effectively used,” Yanciw said. “Hopefully that will become clearer after the next meeting.”
