The Regional Municipality of Halton. Chair and Members of the Health and Social Services Committee

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1 Approved - Health and Social Services - Dec 14, 2010 Adopted - Regional Council - Dec 22, 2010 The Regional Municipality of Halton Report To: From: Chair and Members of the Health and Social Services Committee Bob Nosal, Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health Date: November 25, 2010 Report No. - Re: MO Report of the Southwest GTA Air Quality Task Force RECOMMENDATION REPORT Purpose THAT Report No. MO re: Report of the Southwest GTA Air Quality Task Force be received for information. The purpose of this report is to bring to Regional Council s attention those items which may affect Halton Region from the Action Plan Report of the Southwest Greater Toronto Area Air Quality Task Force (hereafter, Action Plan). Background On September 30, 2009, the Government of Ontario announced a plan to help improve air quality in the southwest Greater Toronto Area following concerns raised in the community. One component of the plan was the creation of a task force to develop and report back on a detailed action plan to improve air quality in the southwest GTA. On November 24, 2009, the Minister of the Environment announced Dr. David Balsillie as the one-person Task Force to serve in an advisory capacity until June 30, The Task Force was charged with creating and liaising with a community advisory committee, and developing an action plan for the Minister addressing how to improve local air quality in the Oakville-Clarkson Airshed (OCA) through the reduction of air emissions. Through Staff Report MO-15-10, Regional Council approved participation on the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) by Dr. Bob Nosal and Mr. Peter Steer. The CAC met monthly from January to June, 2010 to provide advice on the work of the Task Force (the CAC membership is available in Appendix 3 of the Action Plan). The Task Force also consulted with elected officials, provincial officials, the municipal and broader public sector, individuals and associations, companies, and local media (a complete list is available in Appendix 5 of the Action Plan). 1

2 Although there was extensive consultation, the Action Plan is a report of the Task Force (i.e., Dr. David Balsillie). The Task Force report (the Action Plan) was submitted to the Minister of the Environment on June 24, 2010 and is available on the Ministry of the Environment s web site at The Ministry of the Environment has yet to respond to the Action Plan, however, on November 15, 2010, the MOE announced it will be undertaking a review to examine how the province regulates fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ). The review will analyze air monitoring data, review the health literature and look at other jurisdictions to ensure the provincial approach is effective and provides a high level of protection for Ontarians. The review is expected to take 15 to 18 months. Summary of the Action Plan The Action Plan is divided into three parts and contains 35 recommendations. Part I (Recommendations 1-7) proposes a new airshed management system for the Oakville-Clarkson Airshed, Part II (Recommendations 8-18) provides information about specific components of the Action Plan, and Part III (Recommendations 19-35) addresses policies, programs and operations of other ministries and both regional and municipal levels of government. Part I: Airshed Management System The first few recommendations in the Action Plan propose the development and implementation of an airshed management system (AMS) in the Oakville-Clarkson Airshed. Key components include a mechanism to address the issue of cumulative impacts and requirements for emission reductions from all sectors in the airshed. Development of airshed specific policies and/or regulations would be required. The Ministry of the Environment would remain the delivery agent for the AMS but would be supported and guided by an Oakville-Clarkson Airshed Action Committee. The airshed management approach is in use in other jurisdictions but would be a significant departure from the Ministry of the Environment s current point-of-impingement regulatory regime. Part II: Components of the Action Plan The main components of the Action Plan include air quality improvement targets, strategies for achieving the targets, timelines for implementing the strategies, and monitoring and reporting. Air quality improvement targets: Recognizing that it is not possible to accomplish everything at once, the Action Plan recommends air quality improvement targets for common air pollutants and other major pollutants identified in the Clarkson Airshed Study (e.g., volatile organic compounds), but phased in beginning with fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Strategies for achieving targets: To achieve air quality improvement targets, the Action Plan recommends emission reporting and disclosure, an emission offset program, and both percentage and tonnage reductions for emissions, depending upon circumstances. More timely 2

3 and transparent reporting of emissions will allow for more effective management decisions when dealing with air quality issues. The proposed emission offset system would require new industrial and residential development to find, within the airshed, emission reduction offsets. The offset system would include progressively more restrictive caps to drive continuous air quality improvement. Timelines for implementing strategies: Actions that will produce results in the short term (less than 12 months) include dust management (e.g., paving parking lots and road shoulders, and street cleaning), traffic management (e.g., greater enforcement of engine idling, re-routing of traffic on arterial roads), and environment and land use planning (e.g., tree planting, air quality monitoring and reporting, development of an airshed management system, conservation and demand management). Medium term actions are expected to produce results over 3 to 7 years and include, for example, initiatives such as industrial abatement, transit and commercial vehicle fleet upgrading, new and extended transit routes and transit vehicle right-sizing, and changes to the building code to improve energy conservation and reduce emissions. Longer term actions produce results in 5 to 10 years and include vehicle fleet turnover to newer technology vehicles, new generation locomotives and electrification of GO Transit lines along Lakeshore, and Official Plan amendments. Monitoring and reporting strategies: The Action Plan calls for an ambient air quality monitoring network to determine the impact of local emissions, the impact of long-range transport, and any changes in air quality resulting from emission reductions or additions in the airshed. The network would be developed and operated (or at least managed) by the MOE and results would be posted, in real time, on a community website. Part III: Supportive Policies and Programs The recommendations in Part III are intended to support and promote implementation of the action plan and all levels of government are affected. For example, the Action Plan calls for a strategy to deal effectively with air pollution originating from outside the Oakville-Clarkson Airshed, including air pollution originating from outside Ontario. Due to long-range transport of pollution, development of such a strategy requires participation from Environment Canada, Ontario, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and relevant U.S. state governments. At the provincial level (Ministry of Transportation and Metrolinx), there are recommendations related to transportation such as improving traffic flow and exploring alternative traffic management tools, and accelerating the timetable for locomotive fleet modernization and electrification. Recommendations to reduce encroachment into industrial zones and transportation routes and for improved outreach and education to achieve emission reductions from the residential sector seem targeted more to local and regional municipalities. 3

4 Implications for Halton Region All 35 recommendations are listed, with a brief analysis, in Attachment #1 to this report. This section highlights those recommendations which may have the most impact on Halton Region. It is important to note that, at this time, the provincial government has not responded to the Action Plan report and it is uncertain which recommendations may be adopted and which may not. The following recommendations may have a high impact on Halton Region: set a provincial standard for emissions of primary PM 2.5 (#5); establish an offset system for the Oakville-Clarkson Airshed (#10); and, require mandatory participation in the airshed management system (#13). Recommendations for shoulder paving (#26) and street sweeping (#27) could impact the Region but seem directed more to local municipalities. PM 2.5 standard: A provincial primary PM 2.5 emission standard will impact public and private sector facilities in Halton Region, not just the area bounded by the OCA. The extent of the impact will depend upon the targeted emitters (e.g., point sources only?), design of the standard (e.g., will there be a threshold below which facilities will not be captured?), implementation timelines, and the availability and cost of particulate control technology for facilities captured by the standard. Offset system: The design, implementation, and management of an offset system can be difficult, particularly when the offset system is to be applied in a small geographic area with relatively few participants. For participants captured in an offset system, costs are incurred: i) to develop an emissions inventory and assess defined or identified emission types (e.g., point source and/or fugitive); ii) for ongoing measuring and/or monitoring systems; and iii) for funding to implement offset projects, or purchase emission reduction "credits". Additionally, the Region will need to develop a position on what to do with any emission credits that it may achieve (depending upon how the offset system is designed, credits could be sold, retired, or banked). Participation in AMS: Any facility requiring a Certificate of Approval (Air) to operate would have to participate in the airshed management system. The impact is uncertain until more detail about the AMS is available. Possible activities include reporting emissions on a quarterly (or perhaps real-time) basis, responding to queries resulting from posting emissions information on a community website, attending meetings (unknown frequency), or engaging in community outreach and education activities. Conclusion The Action Plan proposes significant changes to how the Ministry of the Environment manages air pollution and the implications for regional and local municipal governments may be far-reaching. Health Department staff will monitor the Ministry of the Environment s response to the Action Plan and implementation of any recommendations. 4

5 FINANCIAL/PROGRAM IMPLICATIONS Financial/program implications will be assessed after the Ministry of the Environment has responded to the Action Plan and it is known which recommendations are to be implemented. RELATIONSHIP TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN Halton Region s involvement with the Task Force (through the Community Advisory Committee) supported: Theme 2: Protect and Enhance our Natural Environment; Goal 1: Develop a plan and implement activities to protect and enhance Halton s air quality Theme 5: Promote Cooperation and Partnerships among all Levels of Government; Goal 2: Strengthen Halton s advocacy efforts through enhanced relationships with other levels of government and government organizations Respectfully submitted, Robert M. Nosal MD FRCPC Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health Approved by Pat Moyle Chief Administrative Officer If you have any questions on the content of this report, please contact: Bob Nosal Tel. # 7806 Peter Steer Tel. #