Journal: News & Comment

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The sounds of summer

Before Vancouver developed air quality problems in the 1980s, we used to have scheduled leaf-burning days. One day a month (or one day in the fall, I can't recall), everyone in the neighbourhood gathered leaves fallen from the trees and burned them in big piles. A distinctive, slightly sweet, acrid smell wafted over the city on those days. It was tolerable once in a while, but would have become irritating if people just burned leaves indiscriminately whenever they felt like it.

I'm now convinced that it is time for scheduled power-washing days, one day in the summer. Let's get it over with already.

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