Montreal,
Quebec, May 17, 2006 – Environment Canada, in
collaboration with the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable
Development, Environment and Parks (MSDEP), the
Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services
and its regional Public Health officials (including
the City of Montreal), for the thirteenth consecutive
year, is renewing the Info-Smog program for air
quality.
This year, important changes
are being introduced. Info-Smog now becomes a
year-round program, with no distinction between
the summer and winter versions. Furthermore, meteorological
forecasting for new areas is now available for
the program's extended geographical coverage.
New areas affected are: Montmagny – L'Islet, Kamouraska
– Rivière-du-Loup – Trois-Pistoles, Témiscouata,
Abitibi, Témiscamingue, the Saguenay and
Lac-Saint-Jean.
Info-Smog is an air quality
forecasting and warning program that aims at informing
the population about ambient air quality, particularly
when smog concentrations are likely to reach or
have reached levels that are harmful to health
and the environment. By bringing together Environment
Canada's weather expertise with the air quality
monitoring networks of partners, namely the City
of Montreal and the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable
Development, Environment and Parks, the Meteorological
Service of Canada can now forecast the evolution
of air quality during the next 36-hour period.
"I would like to congratulate
each of the partners for a job well done over
the past 13 years, to make Info-Smog such a success.
This collaborative approach has meant a steady
expansion of this program across Quebec, helping
citizens to better protect their health from the
harmful effects of smog," said Rona Ambrose,
Environment Canada Minister. "I encourage
Canadians to ride a bus, organize a carpool, take
a bike or even walk to help reduce smog in their
communities."
"I am pleased with recent
improvements to our air quality monitoring program,
notably with respect to measuring fine particulates
and the enlargement of the total territory covered
by the program, which means that nearly 7.2 million
people – 95% of Quebec's population – now benefit
from the data that we have collected with our
partners." said the Minister of Sustainable
Development, Environment and Parks and Deputy
Government House Leader, Mister Claude Béchard.
The air quality forecast is
made up of three categories: GOOD, FAIR and POOR.
When the category POOR is forecast, a smog warning
is issued for the regions concerned. This lets
the population take appropriate action to reduce
pollution emissions in the atmosphere and to protect
themselves against the harmful effects on health.
Generally and for all four seasons,
fine particulates are most often responsible for
poor air quality. However during summer, ozone
levels also contribute to the degradation of air
quality. It is mainly ozone level precursors,
such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and
nitrogen oxides (NOx), products used specifically
by motor vehicles and industry, which are responsible
for poor air quality in summer. We must remember
also, that cross-border atmospheric movement also
carries with it significant pollutants. During
winter, it is mainly local sources of fine particulates
– woodburning stoves, transport and industry –
which contribute to the degradation of air quality.
The Quebec Minister of Health
and Social Services, Mister Philippe Couillard
emphasized in his message that "the Info-Smog
program is the best possible way to warn susceptible
people when air quality is poor and it allows
us to recommend that they decrease any outdoor
physical activity in order to lessen their exposure
to smog." We must also keep in mind that
during periods of smog, certain symptoms can affect
the most vulnerable, including young children,
seniors and those suffering from cardio-respiratory
problems. Local Info-Health service provide specific
health information.
Info-Smog forecasts and advisories
will be distributed through the usual Environment
Canada communication channels and will also be
available on the websites of the different partners.
Advisories will also be displayed on Quebec Ministry
of Transport electronic traffic signage as well
as Métrovision screens installed in certain
Montreal metro stations.
The Info-Smog program is an
excellent example of the partnership between the
Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment
and Parks, the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social
Services and its regional Public Health offices,
the City of Montreal and Environment Canada. For
the Quebec population, this new stage in the evolution
of the Info-Smog program is an important milestone
towards greater access to, and better information
on, daily air quality.
