Air pollution: is Quebec or Montreal faring better?

The Capitale-Nationale pales in comparison to the city of Montreal in terms of air quality, and this could be partly caused by its lag in the supervision of wood stoves.

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Five of the 11 stations where the Ministry of the Environment lists the worst annual average of fine particles are in the Quebec region, against only one on the island of Montreal.

It is also in Quebec that we find the place where we counted the most days (43) with poor air quality in 2021, near the primary school Les Primevères-Jouvence.

This school is in a suburban neighborhood that developed in the 70s and 80s. Many single-storey houses use wood heating, explains a report from Quebec Public Health.

This station was also chosen by the Ministry for the monitoring of pollution related to wood heating.

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Since September 1, 2021, it is now forbidden to heat with wood when there is a smog warning in the Quebec region. Starting in 2026, wood-burning stoves, furnaces or boilers must be certified appliances.

“I think that the regulation will have a beneficial impact on air quality,” believes Dr. Philippe Robert, from the public health department of the CIUSSS de Capitale-Nationale.

Quebec is a decade behind Montreal in terms of controlling wood stoves.

Late

In 2020 and 2021, the Capitale-Nationale had the highest number of smog days in the province, 19 and 15 respectively, almost double what was observed in Montreal.

The Capitale-Nationale had more than twice the number of poor air quality days in 2021 (67) than the metropolis (28).

“It is certain that Quebec is late and out of step with Montreal for wood stoves and for public transport”, underlines Johanne Elsener, president of the organization Santé urbanité.

Ms. Elsener also sat as a citizen member of the Working Group on Atmospheric Contaminants (GTCA) created by the Legault government in the Limoilou district.

The future tram, being electric, should help fight against atmospheric pollution, specifies Ms. Elsener, who adds that there is also a gap between Quebec and Montreal in the development of the bicycle network.

Besides Les Primevères school, the Henri-IV station in Quebec City has the second highest fine particle average in the province.

The Vieux-Limoilou station is also among the worst.

“There have been local controversies in Limoilou, but our message is that there are fine particles everywhere in Quebec and impacts everywhere […] so we have an interest in reducing emissions everywhere,” observes Dr. Robert.

Victim of the winds?

This one brings all the same some nuances on the bad balance sheet of Quebec.

“In Quebec, there has been significant citizen mobilization for several years and that may have put the file [de la qualité de l’air] a little more in the foreground”, he observes

The expert also indicates that part of the air pollution in Quebec is brought there by the winds.

“The prevailing winds come from the southwest, so from the St. Lawrence valley to the north following the river. Of course there is a part [de la pollution] which comes from Montreal and a part which comes from the United States, from the Great Lakes region”, he describes.

He adds that the particles travel several kilometres. In the summer of 2020, for example, a fire in a peat bog in Bas-Saint-Laurent led to a large quantity of fine particles in Quebec City and even as far as Longueuil.

Montreal has improved

For 10 years, Montrealers have been breathing a little better.

“Montreal was the first Canadian city to deal with air pollution,” explained Fabrice Godefroy, section head of the City of Montreal’s Air Quality Monitoring Network (RSQA) during the meeting. a conference organized by UQAM on air quality, in early February.

In 2009, the City of Montreal effectively banned the installation of non-certified wood stoves. Between 2011 and 2014, financial incentives were offered to Montrealers to remove or replace their old heating appliance. It has also been prohibited since 2015 to heat with wood on smog days. And finally, it is forbidden, since 2018, to use an uncertified device.

Thus, from 2009 to 2021, the number of smog days in Montreal fell from 35 to 7.

“Montreal has more problems, they have more exposed population and they have a greater densification, which causes more issues, so it is sure that it led them to put in place actions more quickly”, specifies by Audrey Smargiassi, associate researcher at the INSPQ.

Still a long way to go

In Montreal, traffic is the main cause of fine particle 2.5 emissions, ahead of wood heating, which follows closely, and far ahead of industrial sources.

“Overall, the air quality in Montreal is improving, but it remains a major cause of premature death,” nuance in interview Alexandre Barris, toxicologist at the regional direction of public health in Montreal.

So there is still a long way to go. For example, if we look at the Montréal-Nord sector, which includes the Décarie station and the barracks 17 on rue de Charleroi, the annual averages of fine particles remain among the highest in Québec.

Where is it best to live? In town or in the region?

“I wouldn’t immediately move away from the cities, because it’s not obvious that you’re going to have better air quality,” said David Widory, professor at UQAM and specialist in pollution traceability. atmosphere, who participated in the same conference as Mr. Godefroy.

“It’s really going to depend on the weather too. In fact, if you move away from the cities […]either you follow the plume of contamination and it’s practically like living in the city, or you deviate from the plume and there you will have a gain in terms of air quality, ”he said.

There is more than arsenic in the air of Rouyn-Noranda

The Monseigneur-Rhéaume Est station records one of the highest averages of sulfur dioxide, a pollutant mainly emitted by the industrial sector, here from the Horne smelter. It is exceeded only by the annual average for Powell Park in Saguenay, influenced by the presence of aluminum smelters.

The neighboring station, that of Parc Tremblay, is the only one in Rouyn-Noranda to measure fine particles in Rouyn. There have been 31 days where particles have contributed to poor air quality.

Poor quality due to paper mill

After Les Primevères school in Quebec, it is at the Témiscaming station where we counted the most days of poor air quality in 2021, i.e. 39. Fine particles are the main culprits, but for the one of these days the sulfur dioxide was that high. This sector is influenced by the proximity to an industrial facility, the Temiscaming Complex (Rayonier). As the station is in a narrow valley, the dispersion of emissions from the paper mill is limited. Its fine particle emission average is also the third highest of all stations, at 9.37 ug/M3, almost twice the WHO standard. It also exceeds the Canadian standard of 8.8 ug/M3. Note that Rayonier is not subject to an ambient air quality standard. The public health department is concerned about the impacts of fine particles on health and has requested that the plant be subject to an ambient air standard in its next sanitation certificate, the renewal of which is in progress.