Canada to launch new air monitoring program

Environment Ministers in Canada announced a monitoring plan Oct. 11 that will update air quality standards in the country for the first time in 20 years, according to Fort McMurray Today. The new accord, called the Air Quality Management System, took five years to achieve majority provincial approval.

The monitoring plan will target industrial pollutants by placing output limits on sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and other compounds that add to smog. In spite of wide agreement, negotiations with companies operating in the Canadian oilsands and those in the broader energy sector are ongoing.

Quebec was the only province not to sign the agreement and ministers agree that there is no definite timeline to finishing all negotiations, saying there’s more work to do in certain areas.

The plan also sets out response actions to be coordinated between the U.S. and Canada when pollution crosses the border between the two countries.

Image: Toronto skyline (Credit: sookie, via Flickr)