Essay

Calgary Leaf Blower Noise Nuisance: Health Hazard And Environmental Impact, Night And Day

This article summarizes the current issues with the improper use of gas-powered leaf blowers for snow clearing (mainly at night) enabled by a flawed bylaw and the industry lobby in Calgary. This practice has serious adverse effects on people’s health and the local and global environments. Leaf blowers are a pest at any time and should be banned, as done in many civilized places in Canada and the world.

This page is being continuously updated. Stay tuned.

Introduction

This note deals with annoyance and health issues by gas-powered leaf blowers, mainly at night, and with their impact on the environment. Global warming is resulting in the atmosphere carrying increasingly more moisture, which results in more (frequent) precipitation…compare to Calgary’s hail season. In the winter, this means more (frequent) snow clearing…and therefore more (frequent) nuisance. Leaf blowers add their fair share to global warming, which will be discussed below.

Gas-powered leaf blowers emit a loud aggressive noise that is perceived as unpleasant and irritating by most. And they constitute an environmental and health hazard. Since about 2015, they are also being widely used for snow clearing in Calgary – as a perceived shortcut to optimize effectivity and/or company’s profits (depending the way you see it).

It is claimed in this article that the latter is the case: leaf blowers are a habit and not a necessity. They are not even a shortcut in most cases. Nuts don’t need to be cracked with a hammer. Leaf blowers are toxic and a tyranny for many.

Calgary’s Community Standards Bylaw 5M2004 regulates things such as firepits, charity collections,…and noise. But it does not mention the environment or address health. The bylaw was created in 2004 and last amended in 2016.

There has always been a bylaw relaxation, according to which snow removal was allowed night and day within 48 h following a snowfall. When inquiring with the city’s 311 telephone line on 12 January 2018, the advisors had the following information available on their computer screens: “Motorized leaf blower types used to clear snow are NOT included in the 48 h noise relaxation.” “NOT” was capitalized.

And although the bylaw has not changed since, its interpretation has – radically. Calgary’s bylaw department does not even respond to service requests anymore following nightly sleep disturbance through leaf blower noise immediately after/during snowfall.

The City is more interested in going after noisy vehicles (but don’t really pursue this consequently either). Noisy vehicles are a pest, too, but they tend to come and go in an instant.

In contrast, try living across a school where gas-powered leaf blowers scream at you for 20 to 50 mins between 3 am and 5 am, night after night. The City of Calgary thinks this is reasonable…until a councillor or other city official will be personally affected. After all, sleep is a basic health requirement.

In contrast, bylaw officers and police go after leaf blowers at night in the summer. Even a single isolated incident attracted the attention of CTV – and they sent a TV team [here’s their video]. And this one below is mine…this does not sound any different after a snowfall.

Nightly noise pollution with leaf blower at Calgary Arts Academy at 1 am on 18 May 2022. Note the amplifying echo effect of the two walls (reflective surfaces). This now almost every night in the winter.
EXPAND THIS FOR ANOTHER VIDEO: We get complaints every night...I've talked to police officers multiple times last night...
“We get complaints every night…I’ve talked to police officers multiple times last night.” 1 am, 2022-105-18.
[collapse]

The justification for nightly noise harassment and and sleep disturbance is public safety. But this argument is flawed as public safety does not rely on the combination of nightly work AND deployment of unreasonably noisy equipment.

The world was safe in winters before leaf blowers, in Calgary’s case before 2015.

It is really all about a quick buck.

The corpus delicti: a school that calls itself innovative and progressive, while harassing the neighbourhood at night – even during school holidays.

General Problems With Leaf Blowers

The gas-powered leaf blower is a Japanese invention from the 1970s. They arrived in Calgary’s winters only a few years ago – way after the Community Standards Bylaw – and have taken over like the pest.

Gas-powered leaf blowers for snow clearing are a habit not a necessity!
A bad habit since about 2015…

Questionable Benefits

Leaf blowers mean more income for the snow-clearing companies…as blowing snow is SLOW and superficial. Having crews moving along sidewalks in ultra-slow motion results in more chargeable time.

Leaf blowers also only do a superficial job so there is more need for return visits. Pushing snow along with a snow shovel can be done in fast walking speed, particularly when there is only a film to be removed.

Since the slowest sets the pace not only in math class, Pro Property teams also include a few shovelling workers.

Dedicated snow blowing machines have brushes, they are much more thorough…and they move along much faster. And they are relatively quiet. But they have to be lifted from the vehicle…

And where does the snow go? Right into the street. This entertainment in the Sunday lunch hour…now picture this treatment at night and for a whole hour, as happening across the street at Knobhill school.

Nightly Use: Health Impact through Sleep Disturbance

sound-and-noise-a-listener-s-guide
Buy this book here.

This is my main reason for writing this article. I can keep it short as it addresses common sense. The problem is that common sense does not appeal to the City of Calgary’s legal department and the companies harassing people at night.

Individual neighbours obviously do not do this to each other for obvious reasons. They have to live side by side.

Noise is unwanted sound. Noise can be harmful to people’s health. The health effect is exacerbated by noise at night as it disturbs people’s sleep: wakes them up, keeps them up for the time of the noise pollution, and may cause difficulties in falling asleep again. In the long run, it may alter people’s sleep rhythm.

In the short run, nightly sleep disturbance results in headaches, fatigue, irritability, and it affects someone’s professional performance and productivity. Apart from that night noise causes annoyance and displeasure.

Do I make this up? No, it comes from the World Health Organization – and simply summarizes common sense.

Do you want to be sleep deprived? Well, then you better don’t live close to a school with an inconsiderate contractor.

While common sense alone suggests that noise will disturb sleep, either by waking the sleeper or by changing the level of sleep, actual measure- ment of the problem is not a simple matter (M.J. Epstein, 2020). Buy the book of this UofC researcher here.

Essential Literature Downloads on Noise Impact:

World Health Organization: Guidelines on Community Noise

World Health Organization: Night Noise Guidelines for Europe

Environmental and Occupational Impact

Leaf Blowers are a potent source of air pollution as a third of the oil-gas mixture is not burned but emitted as an aerosol exhaust. The pollutants (nitrous oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, and particulates) have been linked to cancer, heart disease, and asthma.

This 2011 study found that the amount of NMHC pollutants emitted by a leaf blower operated for 30 minutes is comparable to the amount emitted by a Ford F-150 pickup truck driving from Texas to Alaska.

Dust clouds caused by leaf blowers contain potentially harmful substances such as pesticides, mold, and animal feacal matter that may cause irritation, allergies, and disease.

Noise pollution is also a concern with leaf blowers, as they can emit noise levels above those required to cause hearing loss to both the operator and those nearby. Source: Wikipedia.

Bans

Leaf blowers have been banned in some Californian cities since the mid 1970s as a noise nuisance. Today, 20 Californian cities have banned leaf blowers, and 80 have restricted their use. Washington DC banned leaf blowers in 2018, and the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment will be banned in California from 2024.

Canada has been working hard to become an environmental leader for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help mitigate climate change. Ontario, Quebec, and BC have all considered or implemented bans on gas leaf blowers and mowers in specific municipalities. 

FEEDBACK LOOP: leaf blowers contribute to global warming -> warming means more moisture in the atmosphere -> more moisture means more precipitation -> requires more (frequent) snow blowing -> start again…
The more you blow the more it sucks…for the climate.

The Vancouver City Council has also committed to use only electric lawn maintenance tools by 2024. Many provinces have even banned 2-stroke engines in lakes and waterways.  But the worst culprit for both noise and toxic health and safety emissions on land? The leaf blower.

As far back as 2004, the West End of Vancouver has banned gas-powered leaf blowers.  Montreal had also banned leaf blowers in some suburbs back in 2014.

Noise complaints are the main impetus behind the city council voting these out, where the droning of these blowers echoed down city streets between apartment buildings. This year Victoria council followed suit and advocates for electric blowers in their place. 

But what do you expect from a city where the students’ parents idle outside the school with their trucks and large SUVs twice a day?

What to do about It in Calgary?

Use a shovel, broom, or the much quieter dedicated snow blower for snow removal. And ban this pest. CBC reports here.

Petition
Sign the petition of Project Calgary to ban leaf blowers.

The Calgary Community Standards Bylaw In Dubio Pro Offender

General Noise Loopholes

Calgary bylaws should aim to protect the victims. But, in reality, they are – in my experience – written in favour of the offenders, mainly in order to accommodate and legalize unreasonable commercial interests. Business lobby appears to have ruled city councils through the times – after all, who supports the councillors’ election campaigns?

3 Examples of Bylaw Failure

The first is about air conditioner placement – many others had similar experiences – and Bylaw Services had 1500 calls about AC noise that year:

In 2007, a house flipper put an industrial AC unit underneath my bedroom – after covering his walls (6 ft away) with 1 inch of stucco. He ran it between May and October, even at 3C. The unit caused vibrations of my plastic siding…and a constant low-frequency drone sound inside my house. The bylaw officers refused to measure the noise at the property line (30 cm away from the unit) and advised us to move.

According to the bylaw, any measurements are to be taken “at any point of reception”. It is totally up to the officer at which location that is (which means the results are not reproducible…or, in scientific terms, that the precision “reproducibility of results” is zero).

Any decent legal document needs fixed reference points for measurements such as the property line to be meaningful. The Calgary Community Standards Bylaw is not worth the paper it is printed on. Cities in hotter climates such as in Australia have these reference points clearly defined – and it is just a matter of googling for their bylaws.

EXPAND FOR VIDEO: noisy industrial AC unit between houses...underneath my bedroom.
Industrial AC unit between houses underneath my bedroom causing drone sound inside: ran on a cool May evening (2008). I measured at 89 dBC. Was ok with Bylaw Services 15 years ago.
[collapse]

In another example, some 15 years ago, hockey player Iginla positioned two AC units on his property line, right in front of the neighbour’s Bungalow’s bedroom. Mrs Iginla advised the neighbour to move their bed away from the wall. The neighbour was even on CBC’s Eyeopener – and the City remained tone deaf.

Acoustics
AANVS is a non-profit organization that promotes and promulgates information about issues concerning acoustic measurement, noise regulations, noise abatement, and public perception of noise in Alberta.

5 years ago, a new neighbour placed their hot tub on the back patio of our attached houses. She is hearing impaired but the constant 2-3 hr low-frequency drone was driving me crazy in my office. We could amicably resolve this by her running the tub’s heater after business hours.

Noise Aspects missing in the Community Standards Bylaw

The community standards bylaw only considers noise quantity (measured in dBA), but not quality. A very-low frequency drone sound will barely yield 30 dBA, but be excavating on most people within a few minutes (compare to a dripping faucet). It is well established in the scientific literature that it is harmful to health.

A masterfully played violin at 65 dBA may sound pleasant over 90 mins, a drill certainly not. The difference between all these is that drone sound (AC, drill) is repetitive and static whereas a voice or violin is variable as it changes frequencies and sound pressure level (“volume”) all the time. The latter is much more tolerable.

Another aspect in bylaws of more mature communities is considering reflective walls. An AC between 2 infills 6 ft apart will emit sound waves that reverberate between the house walls, which amplifies the noise: the famous “gun barrel effect”. Therefore AC placement is important for noise impact.

In summary, whoever has drafted up this bylaw has insufficient understanding of the basic physics – and zero common sense.

Calgary Arts Academy
Calgary Arts Academy…lots of rights, limited responsibilities, futile efforts, double dipping. Nightly snow clearing with leaf blowers during holidays.

Leaf Blower Noise Loopholes

Leaf blowers were explicitly banned at night a few years ago – and the bylaw’s wording has not changed since.

LEAFBLOWERS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE BYLAW RELAXATION IN JAN 2018:

311 telephone line advisors from January 2018: the advisors have the following information available on their computer screens (information from 2018-01-12):
“Motorized leaf blower types used to clear snow are NOT included in the 48 h noise relaxation.”

“NOT” is capitalized.

The bylaw wording has NOT changed since.

What has changed is the interpretation of the bylaw text when somebody found a loophole in the wording: an ambiguous text passage is interpreted in favour of the offender – out of fear the city could loose the battle in court. Suddenly the banned leaf blowers were allowed again – out of the blue. A true paradox!

As a result of the city’s incompetence, the bylaw’s simplified web version is even more removed from the original bylaw and from reality:

Many people rely on motorized equipment to clear snow, including City crews. Noise restrictions for using such equipment are lifted for 48 hours after a snowfall ends to clear walkways for safety and accessibility. This means anyone is allowed to operate a motorized snow clearing device (including leaf and snow blowers) — at any time of day/night — during that 48-hour window to remove snow and ice. ​Outside of that window, night use is not permitted. For more information, download the Community Standards Bylaw​ and refer to sections 31.1(e) and 31.1(2).

Sidewalks have become walkways and leaf blowers are now snow removal devices. You find the problem with the wording behind this spoiler:

Dear Calgary City Council, your Community Standards Bylaw from 2004 was last amended in 2016. In January 2018, gas-powered leaf blowers were EXPLICTLY not included in the 48 h relaxation following a snowfall. And without any change in wording whatsoever, they are suddenly included. Why? And what was the intent of the bylaw - to protect neighbourhoods or businesses, victims or offenders? EXPAND THIS SECTION FOR DETAILS...

From the community Standards bylaw 5M2004:

Activities in Residential Developments

31. (1)

No Person shall operate or use:
(a) a hand lawn mower;
(b) a Motorized Garden Tool;
(c) a Power Tool outside of any building or Structure;
(d) a model aircraft driven by an internal combustion engine of any kind; (e) a snow clearing device powered by an engine of any kind;

(e) a snow clearing device powered by an engine of any kind; 

(f) a motorized snow or leaf blowing device; or (g) a Sports Ramp;
in a Residential Development during the Night-time. 

Note: there is a distinction between snow clearing device in (e) and snow/leaf blowing device in (f). Also note how the city struggles with inconsistent capitalization.

AND NOW TO THE RELAXATION 31 (2):

Despite subsection 31(1)(e), a person may operate a snow clearing device powered by an engine for the purpose of commercial and non-commercial removal of snow and ice from streets, parking lots and sidewalks during the 48 hour period following a snowfall, rain or freezing rain, subject to the right of the Chief Bylaw Enforcement Officer to withdraw this relaxation on a site-specific basis. 

Relaxation is only valid for:

1) 31. (1) (e) “snow clearing device”

2) from streets, parking lots, and sidewalks

The relaxation is NOT valid for section 31. (1) (f) “motorized snow or leaf blowing device”. In order to clarify this issue, 31 (2) should contain: Despite subsection 31(1)(e) and (f), a person may operate…

I don’t think the inclusion of the leaf blowers into the relaxation was intended.

I REPEAT: LEAFBLOWERS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE BYLAW RELAXATION IN JAN 2018:

311 telephone line advisors from January 2018: the advisors have the following information available on their computer screens (information from 2018-01-12):
“Motorized leaf blower types used to clear snow are NOT included in the 48 h noise relaxation.”

“NOT” is capitalized.

The bylaw wording has NOT changed since.

This clearly shows the intent of the bylaw. So there has been a 180 degree turn since without any change in the legal text. This resulted in conflicting interpretations by lawyers:

Ola Malik, city prosecutor: Leaf blowers are allowed at night-time — The Bylaw does not define what a “snow clearing device” is. In my view, this definition, as broadly defined, could include a leaf blower when used for the purpose of removing snow and ice. This definition would arguably also include any other device powered by an engine/motor that is being used for the purpose of clearing snow, whether it is advertised as a “motorized snow blowing device” or not.

Doug Roberts, lawyer: Leaf blowers are not allowed at night-time — the fact that the drafters of the bylaw chose to create a separate paragraph for snow/leaf blowing devices, and chose to make the 48-hour relaxation applicable to the “snow clearing device” paragraph, but not also to the snow/leaf blowing device paragraph, makes it pretty clear to me that their intention was not to allow snow/leaf blowers to be used at Nighttime, not even within the 48-hour period following a snowfall.

I say: leafblowers are only included in Ola Malik’s relaxation interpretation until somebody harasses him with such on a nightly basis. This loophole also leaves door open for abuse. There is zero incentive for night crews to work efficiently.

[collapse]

Abuse of Bylaw Relaxation

Snow-clearing/landscaping companies have much experience with police encounters and bylaw officers from their illegal nightly summer work. Since the city is typically business friendly, nothing happens to them. They can be even more relaxed when backed by a bylaw relaxation (anything goes within 48 hrs of a snowfall) or when arguing with safety, particularly when children are involved.

But the bylaw relaxation gives no incentive for these companies to work efficiently, and community or environmentally friendly.

How companies abuse the bylaw relaxation during snowfall periods: they come at fixed times, according to their (assembly-line) schedule, even when it snows. While the bylaw relaxation only relates to a 48 h period AFTER a snowfall (not during), they don’t care.

Working during a snowfall means they have to come back – it is a repeat job. So the neighbourhoods will experience at least twice the harassment – which will turn many into insomniacs.

Good for the business – bad for the neighbourhoods.
Calgary
Greenwashing attempt by City Council: leaf blowers excluded.

Leaf Blowers and Calgary’s Climate Emergency Declaration

About Right to Quie
Calgary: climate emergency vs. climate reality. From www.quiet.org.

On November 15, 2021, Calgary City Council voted to declare a Climate Emergency. A declaration of Climate Emergency is a resolution passed by a governing body such as a city council. It puts the local government on record in support of emergency action to respond to climate change, and recognizes the pace and scale of action needed.

Calgary subscribed to making climate change a strategic priority and taking action on climate change – while bending all possible bylaws and rules of decency to cater to industry lobby allowing the use of leaf blowers, one of the biggest environmental pests around.

Pollutants emitted by a leaf blower operated for 30 minutes is comparable to the amount emitted by a Ford F-150 pickup truck driving from Texas to Alaska.
This study.

Considering that City Council has refused to understand, let alone taken action on any noise pollution issue that had been on their agenda for the last 20 years, nobody is surprised by their clownery.

This hardly comes as a surprise considering Alberta has always been (one of the) last with most progress in Canada, for example the introduction of seat belts, distracted driving, smoking laws etc.

“Leaf blowers are a nuisance from a noise perspective, and they are a nuisance from an emissions perspective, definitely!” Kourtney Penner, Councillor Ward 11.

Open Questions

The above treatment results in the following questions for you, dear reader:

  • Do you think it is reasonable having to put up with sleep disturbance by aggressive noise night after night?
  • Do you think you should put up with such noise at any time?
  • Why do bylaw makers think using motorized garden tools at night is unreasonable in summer but not in winter?
  • Why was it possible for the city to interpret their own bylaw first contra and then pro nightly leaf blower relaxation?
  • Why should public safety rely on the use of leaf blowers? They are a 1940s invention, but have only been widely used in the last 10 years in Calgary.
  • If public safety relies on leaf blowers, how unsafe was the public before?
  • Why does City Council not ban leaf blowers simply on the basis of their horrific environmental impact? After all, the city has declared a climate emergency.
  • How does city view that feedback loop according to which global warming increases precipitation – and leaf blowers are a major contributor to global warming.

Concluding Remarks

In summary, the City of Calgary adheres to their flawed interpretation of their botched Community Standards Bylaw 5M2004, out of fear of losing court battles against businesses that feel entitled to impose themselves on neighbourhoods. Common sense does not appear to be an argument.

The City’s inaction is in stark contrast to their climate emergency and public and occupational health.

epstein
Dear Calgary City Council, professional help is so near!

Calgary City Council is advised to revise their bylaws to the standards of common sense and adapt it to their climate emergency declaration and the reality of ever increasing precipitation. Right now, they have no credibility. No city councillor or reasonable person would put up with such ongoing nuisance personally – and should not, according to the bylaw, section 27. (1):

Except as authorized pursuant to this Bylaw, no Person shall make or cause or allow to be made or continued any noise which would disturb or annoy a reasonable person.

But acccording to the city’s bylaw interpretation, such reasonable persons don’t exist. They never have. As former mayor Nenshi would say: “this bylaw is hot garbage”.

The city will have to catch up with the times and get rid of this environmental and occupational pest – period, it is just a matter of time. Get civilized!

Until next time…keep on listening – but to real music!

Jürgen Kraus signature


FB Group
Click To Join Our FB Group!
youtube

Author

  • Jürgen Kraus

    Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

    View all posts

Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada)

Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

One thought on “Calgary Leaf Blower Noise Nuisance: Health Hazard And Environmental Impact, Night And Day

  • Peter Vlahos

    I am happy I saw your post. The more research I do into this, the more I find it is an issue and has been for years. I live in Shawnessy next to big box stores and when it snows and after I can expect not to sleep. The contractors come at 4 or 5am with their machines. I complained a year ago to them after they came at 3am and said they won’t change but will try to come later. I guess later means 1 hour. I have complained to the city more than once and was told a multi billion dollar company will do what ever they want. I also complained to my councillor last year who said it was being looked at. Yeah right! So I sent CBC an email a few weeks ago and not heard anything back. Feeling absolutely powerless! I am considering asking all the residents in my apartment complex if they get disturbed and if so writing a letter with all our signatures to our councillor and MP. Have you had any new success since writing your post?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *