Clean Air Hamilton is Advocating for the Following Priorities to Provincial Elected Officials:
Priority #1: Invest in the expansion of air quality monitoring for contaminants of concern in areas of high risk across the City of Hamilton
It is strongly recommended the Province of Ontario provide funding for the deployment of up to four (4) additional air quality monitoring stations capable of monitoring contaminants of concern such as benzene, benzo[a]pyrene, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter. These monitors can be deployed, where feasible, in previously identified areas of concern and pollution hotspots across Hamilton such as along highways and major arterial roads, hospitals, residential areas and other sensitive receptors. This will help to determine air pollution concentrations and exposure potential of these harmful air pollutants within these communities to inform actions to reduce these contaminants.
Priority #2: Direct the MECP to consult with Clean Air Hamilton to create a special air quality subcommittee to complete work committed to under the Air Zone Management Framework, leveraging local organizations and expertise in Hamilton, Ontario
The Province of Ontario committed to the federal Air Quality Management System (AQMS) which identified Hamilton as an ‘Air Zone 3’, the most stringent air zone. The Province should create a special air quality subcommittee, leveraging local organizations and expertise to complete the following actions:
- Create more spatially refined and accurate air zones based on the most current air quality modelling and monitoring information to inform land-use patterns; and
- Develop a Local Integrated Air Strategy with community-specific action plans, activities, public education and reporting on status and progress of these actions.
Priority #3: Accelerate, engage and provide updates to stakeholders on a regular basis related to work on O.Reg. 419/05 – Local Air Quality, Environmental Compliance Approval processes and Cumulative Effects to better protect population health
The Province of Ontario is commended on the work done to date to establish enforceable air quality regulations across the province. The Province of Ontario should continue and accelerate utilization of local mechanisms that align with the achievement of the federal health-based Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) for Criteria Air Contaminants such as Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). It is also recommended that a more accelerated and consistent approach be taken to address cumulative effects of multiple air pollution sources in a community. This work is extremely important to the health of Ontarian’s and more engagement activities on a regular basis are needed in order to provide updates on this work. Potential avenues for these updates can include existing O.Reg. 419/05 External Working Groups, and other community-based committees.