Quebec suburb votes to ban leaf blowers

Mayor says police called after alleged threat against local councillor

BEACONSFIELD, QUE.— Tensions erupted in a Montreal suburb after councillors voted to pass a contentious summer-long ban on leaf blowers.

Protesters gathered outside city hall in Beaconsfield, Que., as councillors voted 5-1Monday to ban leaf blowers between June1 and Sept. 30 starting next year, despite vocal opposition from many of the more than 100 residents who attended the meeting.

Police were called as a precaution after one councillor was allegedly threatened, Mayor Georges Bourelle said.

Bourelle said leaf blowers raise health concerns due to noise and air pollution, as well as the dispersion of fine particles he says can contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular illness.

But opponents refute Bourelle’s claims as not backed up by concrete evidence.

Several business owners have rallied against the ban, saying the landscaping tool is essential to their operations during peak season.

A city-commissioned poll gauging public sentiment on the debate was made public Tuesday. The poll found that only 28 per cent of 600 residents surveyed were in favour of a ban on all types leaf blowers during the summer months, while there was majority support for restrictions on gaspowered machines.