OTTAWA,
Ontario, April 28, 2006 – Significant steps are
being taken today by the Government of Canada
towards reducing releases of several toxic substances
from some of the largest sources of industrial
pollution in Canada. This is a concrete and tangible
step toward the government delivering on its commitment
to tackling air pollution and cleaning up the
air that Canadians breathe.
The publication tomorrow of
a Notice in the Canada Gazette will require base
metal smelters to prepare and implement comprehensive
Pollution Prevention Plans and to publicly report
on their conformance with an Environmental Code
of Practice for Base Metals Smelters and Refineries.
The publication follows extensive consultations
with provinces, industry and other stakeholders.
“The health and prosperity of
Canadians are strongly dependent on the quality
of our air. Air pollution is still a serious threat
to our health, our environment and our economy,”
said Minister Ambrose. “This approach to reducing
sulphur dioxide and metal pollutants from base
metal smelters across the country will bring environmental
and health benefits to citizens, while respecting
the economic and social well being of smelter
communities.”
Base metal smelters, which include
producers of copper, lead, nickel and zinc, melt
and separate valuable metals from less desirable
metals and impurities. These smelters release
large amounts of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide
and particulate matter containing various metals
such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and nickel.
The requirements under the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) provide industry
with clear direction on current and future environmental
standards, and ensures that smelters will prepare
plans to address these objectives. The Government
of Canada will monitor and make public, progress
on these Pollution Prevention Plans to ensure
that steps are being taken by industry to attain
significant reductions in emissions and to continually
improve environmental performance to achieve world
class standards.
Sulphur Dioxide contributes
to acid rain and smog and resulting adverse effects
on lakes, soils, forests and plants, and on human
respiratory systems. Certain metal compounds are
linked to health problems such as neurological
disorders and cancers, and can also pose risks
to other organisms. Pollutants in air can travel
long distances and affect the quality of the environment
in many regions.
For the Pollution Prevention
Plans, base metal smelters are required to develop
and implement Community Air Quality Protection
Programs and Smelter Emission Reduction Programs.
As smelters implement the Plans and address emission
reduction targets, it is expected that the sector
will reduce annual sulphur dioxide emissions by
over 600,000 tonnes (about 70%) and will reduce
annual particulate matter emissions containing
metals by over 3,000 tonnes (about 50%) by 2015
from 1998 levels.
These pollution prevention planning
requirements will support the development of conventional
regulations by 2015 for all base metal smelters
and refineries. Work with the smelter provinces
of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec
and New Brunswick, allows all facilities in the
sector the time necessary to make appropriate
technological changes and improvements in environmental
practices and performance.
