Ministry of Environment - Protecting Air Quality

Protecting Air Quality

Community air quality has improved in many areas of the province in recent years and the B.C. government is committed to seeing that trend continue. Maintaining clean and healthy communities is a high priority. The Ministry of Environment is currently focussing on developing a framework for airshed planning. This framework can be applied to degraded airsheds throughout the province to develop actions for ensuring air quality protection.

The ministry is building airshed-management partnerships with federal, regional and local governments and Washington State. Partnership funding assists communities to initiate or further develop their airshed plans. Funding for academic institutions, regional and local governments and contractors will improve understanding of local air quality, sources of concern and factors that contribute to air quality improvements.

Protecting Air Quality Province-wide

The province has made very significant progress on measures to reduce emissions of air pollutants and real progress to improve the quality of the air we breathe. Here are some examples:

Key participation in provincial Energy Policy, with the target of producing 50% of all new electricity from clean and renewable sources, and incentives and rate structures to drive energy efficiency and conservation.
The province has invested over $4 million in clean energy and fuel cell research in the past two years, promoting the development of clean energy sources.
Under the Western Economic Partnership Agreement, the provincial and federal governments committed a total of $13 million for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. The province contributed $6.5 million towards demonstration projects with Fuel Cells Canada, BC Transit, Ballard, BC Hydro and others.
A key priority in the New Era document is the opposition to Sumas II, the natural gas-fired electricity generating facility proposed on the Washington State side of the border in the Lower Fraser Valley. It is opposed by the province and many Fraser Valley residents that feel it is a threat to the valley's airshed.
The Environmental Management Act, brought into force in July 2004, provides a legislative framework for area-based planning and administrative monetary penalties.
The provincial air protection program has been strengthened through:
- An investment of $1.1 million over the past three years to enhance the air quality monitoring network by establishing new stations in eleven communities and replacing or upgrading existing stations across the province.;
- Over $300,000 towards community-based air quality research, and direct financial support to community based airshed planning initiatives;
- Support for alternative and cleaner forms of transportation through:
  - A new rapid transit line improving public transportation and air quality in the Lower Mainland, through partnership with TransLink, the Government of Canada and the Vancouver International Airport Authority
  - Provincial fuel tax exemption for ethanol and biodiesel portions of fuels blended with gasoline and diesel
- The development of new modeling tools, guides on air quality and airshed planning for local governments; and
- Updating the provincial inventory of emissions of criteria air contaminants and a report on residential wood burning emissions in the province, and
- In partnership with woodstove manufacturers and retailers, the ministry has promoted regional woodstove change-out programs whereby retailers provide a cash incentive for citizens to replace their old, dirty woodstove for a modern, cleaner model;
Airshed planning processes have been initiated in a dozen communities or regions across the province: Golden, Nelson, Bulkley Valley/Lakes District, Port Alberni, Williams Lake, Capital Regional District, Quesnel, Kamloops, Whistler, Sea-to-Sky Corridor, North Okanagan Regional District and the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District. Community based airshed plans are key to meeting our obligations under the Canada-Wide Standards for Particulate Matter and Ozone, two contaminants that adversely affect human health.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District has an Air Quality Management Plan, which is currently being updated.
See http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/air/
The Fraser Valley Regional District's airshed management plans can be viewed at:
http://www.fvrd.com/calendar/index.php?cmd=search&SUID;=786cd3299873f808b42c747025103518&id;=96
Phase I of the Prince George Air Quality Management Plan can be accessed at: http://www.city.pg.bc.ca/pages/news/pgairquality.pdf
AirCare tests vehicle emissions on the Lower Mainland. Information on this program can be found at: http://www.aircare.ca/.
The city of Golden is an example of the benefits of community led airshed planning. A comprehensive partnership is in place to conduct a source apportionment study that will identify which sectors are the most important sources of air pollution in the airshed. City Council is fully engaged, and there is a good relationship with local industry.
The Georgia Basin / Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy is a multi-agency, international co-operative effort to address shared air quality management concerns. Amongst other objectives, this strategy also aims to improve our relationship with neighbouring jurisdictions and provide a better framework for dealing with future projects that have the potential to contribute to the deterioration of air quality in the shared airshed.

Air Quality Programs and Services

Reports/Studies

Legislation
A summary of the main B.C. laws relating to air quality. Please note that other B.C. and federal laws deal with air quality and emissions management, too.

Waste Discharge Authorizations

Links