Redefining a Breath of Fresh Air in Toronto

1

A look at Air Pollution in Toronto, the Government’s

inaction, and how the environment and our bodies are

wreaking the pain.

Did you know that Toronto is

one of the most polluted cities in the

world? Every time you take a breath of

air in the city your body becomes filled

with toxic chemicals. After a 10-year

study, Toronto has been established as

the 4th largest polluted city in the

world when compared to 27 major cities

worldwide.1 Followed by New York,

Beijing, and Los Angeles, Toronto is

considered a mass environmental

straggler rather than an environmental

leader.

What is causing our city to be so

polluted? The burning of fossil fuels and

toxic gas emissions from industry and

power plants are the leading causes of air

pollution. Downtown driving and the

lack of laws to reduce harmful emissions

in Toronto are causing unnatural toxins

to flood the air. According to a report by

Global News’ Sean Smallen last

Wednesday, there are 11,000 pollutant

emitters in the city and only those that

emit more than 10 tons annually, are

required to report. Canada’s National

Pollutant Release Inventory, an agency

that provides information on pollutants in

the air, requires that only the largest

emitters in the city need to report. This

leaves the city with thousands of other

emitters that continue to release large

amounts of toxins into the air. Smallen

noted that only 3% of polluters are

required to submit paperwork, which

accounts for less than 25% of Toronto

emissions. This leaves the polluters that

do not have to report continuing to

produce three quarters of our city’s air

pollution.

The long-term effects of

pollution are the developments of smog

and acid rain, which pose a hazardous

impact on the environment and the

1 Star, Toronto. "Clear targets needed to cut emissions." Daily Mercury (Guelph, Ont.). 13 Oct 2006. A11. eLibrary. Proquest. 09 Feb 2007. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/canada>.

human body.2 Even though humans are

the environmental culprits, the

government has the ultimate power to

improve the Canadian environment.

Rules need to be set to enforce those of

the automobile and power plant

industries to reduce emissions.

According to the Toronto

Environmental Alliance (TEA), a group

devoted to finding solutions to Toronto’s

environmental problems, the government

is not living up to its responsibilities.

TEA’s energy campaigner Dr. Franz

Hartmann explains “4,500 Torontonians

will die prematurely due to smog over

the next three years.”3 While the

government supports the Clean Air Act,

an organization created to protect our

environment, the government does not

realize that the organization is not

effective. Hartmann explains that the

Clean Air Act plans to engage in three

more years of discussion before solutions

are fulfilled. Hartmann argues that there

has been a decade of talk about

implementing solutions, though since no

real action has been taken, the air just

keeps deteriorating. The government’s

inaction is actually making Toronto’s air

quality problems worse.

2

As the government is the central

power holder in today’s society, the TEA

group is calling on the government to

raise regulations on greenhouse gas

emissions coming from vehicles,

industry, and power plants in Toronto.

Since Toronto has made the decision to

ban indoor pollution (cigarette smoke),

TEA believes that the government has

the power to restrict hazardous outdoor

pollution. This year, TEA has requested

that both the provincial and federal

governments restrict the emission of

greenhouse gases that are decaying the

air. Plus, they are advocating for a

greener public transit system and

demanding limits to urban sprawl. The

group is also promoting the use of green

cars and green energy to replace

2 “Air pollution kills thousands each year: Health Canada.” CBC News, Toronto, 2006 <http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2005/05/02/airpollution050502.html>.3 Winesberg, Harry. “Clean Air Act Press Release.” Toronto Environmental Alliance 19 Oct 2006. 22 Jan 2007 <http://www.torontoenvironment.org/node/3>.

hazardous chemicals coming from

nuclear plants.

Last October, TEA’s annual air

quality report concluded that Toronto’s

air quality level is currently rated a

‘D.’ This study measured air pollution in

areas across the city to identify where

improvements have been made and what

problems are still to be resolved. On a

positive account, the study found that the

number of green vehicles have increased

in Toronto, although there are still not

enough to make a significant change to

the air quality. The report concluded that

Toronto is lacking in an effort to obtain

greener sources of energy. Solutions that

need to be implemented include the use

of wind and solar power, the reduction of

pollutant emissions, and the promotion of

a bike and pedestrian-friendly Toronto.4

3

A recent article in the Toronto

Star explained that Toronto’s poor

environmental situation is a top

priority for 2007: a year where solutions

need to be fulfilled. Why is this the year

of change? Green activists explain that

public concern is high as air pollution is

worse then ever before. While the

current conservative government is now

showing that they want to take action,

green activists are pushing the idea that

changes need to be made soon. These

activists along with the TEA group are

currently calling on all levels of

government to execute change.

Specifically, they are requesting that the

Harper Government make some clear

targets to cut emissions, set a date to

which auto companies make reductions,

and most essentially create a clear

timeline.5

Green activists have argued for

many years that the government is not

only ignoring the issue, but is fooling

citizens into believing that change is 4 Winesberg, Harry. “Clean Air Act Press Release.” Toronto Environmental Alliance 19 Oct 2006. 22 Jan 2007 <http://www.torontoenvironment.org/3/print>. 5 Gorrie, Peter. “2007: The Environment’s Time.” Toronto Star 8 Jan 2004: C5.

being made. Since it is expensive for the

government to physically clean the air,

green activists believe that the

government merely promotes the idea

that they are cleaning up the environment

(via ad campaigns) in order to conceal

their inaction. Activists conclude that it

costs less to promote an ad campaign

than it does to do the dirty work. For

example, Shell Canada continuously

promotes itself as an environmentally

friendly business, when in reality the

company constantly harms the

environment though the production of

heavy sour crude.

4

After decades of promises from

the federal government to make positive

changes to the environment, no action

has been taken. Last year with the

election of Stephen Harper to Prime

Minister change began to seem hopeful,

as he described his plan to turn the

environment around like Brian

Mulrooney did in the past. After a year

of talk, real action has not been taken.

Even though the Harper government has

addressed the environment as a top

priority alongside taxes and crime, it is

being put off.

Currently, government officials

are having prolonged debates with

automakers about emission reduction.6

Last October, Harper met with auto

executives to discuss emission

regulations, although they could not

come to a conclusive decision. During

their debate automakers tried to convince

him that the auto industry needs time to

adjust, and now it seems as though they

have won.7

While automakers are prolonging

inaction, they are not the only ones to

blame for the lack of environmental

cleanup. The government continues to

6 Chartrand, Fred. “Harper says environment to be priority in 2007.” Canadian Press, Ottawa, 2006 <http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/articlenews/story/ctvnews/20061219/harper_yearend_061219?s_name=&no>7 Star, Toronto. "Clearing the air on Clean Air Act; All emissions are not the same Older autos are major contributors." Toronto Star. 28 Oct 2006. G25. eLibrary. Proquest. 09 Feb 2007. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/canada>.

step back because of the cost of having to

rebuild the environment. While it is true

that the government will need to spend

significant funds to clean up the air, they

need to realize that by not taking action

now, problems are going to continue to

get worse and more expensive in the

future. By not implementing change

now, air pollution will increase and more

people will get sick. According to a

recent study by the Ontario Medical

Association, “air pollution costs

Ontario more than one billion dollars

a year in hospital admissions as a

result of illnesses triggered by air

pollution.”8 Thus, it is already costing

the government billions by ignoring the

problem.

5

Toronto’s poor air quality not

only floats outside Toronto streets but

within the bodies of Canadians. While

harmful chemicals increasingly interrupt

the ecosystem and dangerously cause

temperature change, rates of illness are

also increasing. Greenhouse gases,

smog, and the burning of fossil fuels, are

three major cancer-causing pollutants

that leave thousands of Torontonians

dead each year.9 In 2005, Health Canada

reported that air pollution is the leading

cause of death in Canada when

compared to other fatal reasons such as

cancer, vehicle accidents, and skin and

viral diseases. Health Canada’s 2006

report concluded that approximately

5,900 deaths are attributed to air

pollution annually in Canada, which is

slightly higher than the estimated 5,000

deaths recognized by the study in 2002.10

In Toronto alone, there were nearly

2,000 early deaths and 6,000 hospital

admissions in 2006. This is an increase

from the previous study in 2002 that

calculated a rate of 1,400 early deaths

and 5,500 hospital admissions.11

8 Environment Canada. “Air pollution is linked to varying degrees to a number of health concerns.” Canada’s Clean Air Act, 2006.9 Ferguson, Alan. "A ton of Canadians will agree with this crackdown on toxic chemicals." Vancouver Province. 12 Dec 2006. A20. eLibrary. Proquest. 09 Feb 2007. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/canada>.10 Health Canada. “Air Pollution kills estimated 5,900 Canadians every year.” Health Canada News Release, Ottawa 2006 <http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/2006/2006_32_e.html>.11 “Tiny air pollutants linked to heart disease.” CBC News, Toronto, 2007 <http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/01/31/particulates-heart.html?ref=rss#skip300x250>.

6

So what exactly in the air is

killing Canadians? According to a recent

health study conducted by Health

Canada, tiny airborne particles are the

culprits. Scientifically titled PM 2.5,

these particles are made up of invisible

pieces of dust that come from a

combination of vehicle, power plant, and

industry pollutants. These particles cling

to toxic gases in the air, and once

breathed in, they attach to the blood

vessels and the lungs and cause

inflammation. Contact with these

particles will aggravate the respiratory

and cardiovascular systems, which can

lead to breathing problems and heart

disease.12

A study by the Environmental

Defence Department, a company that

researches the quality of the environment

and public health, tested six adults and

seven children to measure the amount of

toxic chemicals within their bodies.

After testing a urine and blood sample

from each person, between 40 and 50

industrial chemicals were found within

the adults while even higher levels

were found in the children. Executive

director of Environmental Defence, Rick

Smith, said quote “harmful pollutants

are contaminating the bodies of

Canadians no matter where they live,

how old they are, or where they

work.”13 Smith concluded that children

are more vulnerable than adults because

the toxins could disrupt hormonal

developments.

7

After a year from which the

Environmental Defences’ study was

released, the statistics did not seem to

push the Harper government to think

twice about their environmental inaction.

As a solution, last month the

Environmental Defence Department

came up with a study to make the

12 “Tiny air pollutants linked to heart disease.” CBC News, Toronto, 2007 <http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/01/31/particulates-heart.html?ref=rss#skip300x250>.13 Favaro, Avis. “Pollutions tiniest toxins get trapped in body.” CTV News, Toronto, 2003 <http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/articlenews/story/ctvnews/1053386040554_32/hub=ctvnews>

effects of air pollution hit the

politicians close to home. In order to

ultimately capture the Harper

government’s attention, the study was

created to measure the bodies of four

federal politicians for 103 different

pollutants. NDP leader Jack Layton,

Liberal MP John Godfrey, Environment

Minister Rona Ambrose, and Health

Minister Tony Clement favourably

volunteered. The study surprisingly

concluded that each politician had

between 50 and 55 chemicals trapped

within their bodies. This study

inevitably confirmed Environmental

Defence Minister Rick Smith’s statement

that pollution affects everyone.

According to Smith, Environmental

Defence is hopeful that these results will

grab the Harper government’s attention

to finally rid harmful substances in the

air Canadians breathe.14 While this study

confirms the hazardous affects of

polluted air on the body, these numbers

also come as an effective way to shock

politicians.

Earlier this month Harper made a

speech to the Canadian Council in

Ottawa admitting that after more than a

decade of inaction on improving air

quality, Canada is deteriorating. Harper

repeatedly admitted “Canada has one of

the worst records in the developed

world.”15 It is difficult to decipher

whether this statement should be viewed

as a move to improve the environment or

a sheer backlash against the previous

government. Harper went on to explain

that he understands the concerns of

Canadians and concluded that he

promises to impose strict fuel efficiency

standards for automobiles beginning

2011. But what about implementing

changes now? Why do we have to wait

so many years? Canadian politician

David McGuinty criticized Harpers

promise by arguing, “this is an

opportunity or an attempt by the

Prime Minister to buy time and give

the impression he is doing something

meaningful.”16

8

14 Environmental Defence. “Pollutants Contaminate Blood of Federal Politicians – Results show pollutants found in the environment.” Environmental Defence News Releases, Toronto 2007 <http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/toxicnation/press/viewnews.php?rd=3>.15 Chartrand, Fred. “Harper Rolls out Tory Governments new agenda.” Canadian press, Ottawa, 2007 <http://www.ctv.ca/2007205/harper_speech >. 16 Chartrand, Fred. “Harper Rolls out Tory Governments new agenda.” Canadian press, Ottawa, 2007 <http://www.ctv.ca/2007205/harper_speech >.

The prevention of air pollution is

a team effort. Scientists and researchers,

business leaders, legislators, and the

public need to get together to brainstorm

and problem solve. As Harper has

promised to not implement change for

four more years, we must rely on

ourselves as citizens to improve the

environment. However, it is becoming

difficult to rely on us to make efficient

decisions. Environmental regulatory

agencies consistently advocate the use of

alternative fuels and alternative

transportation such as walking, yet there

is still no groundbreaking change.17

According to Health Canada, the public

do not seem to be giving up their

SUV’s. Health Canada reports that more

people are driving sport-utility vehicles

more than ever before.18 So what is the

solution? As a mass of public

environmental cleaning becomes

unattainable, society needs the

government to enforce strict laws to

prevent air pollution.

All Canadians can do is wait for

the Harper government to implement

change. According to Toronto Scientist

Richard Peltier, if the Harper government

does not take action soon, Toronto and

all of Canada will lose its strength. He

said quote “It’s a very sad thing to

recognize, especially as Canadians,

because we pride ourselves on having

such a beautiful environment to live

in.”19 As Canadian citizens all we can do

is hope and anticipate that Toronto and

the rest of Canada will eventually

transform from an environmental

straggler to a healthy environmental

leader.

By: Kelly Foss

(250328894)

17 Fulton, Jim. "BREATHING EASIER." Alternatives Journal. 31 Jan 2002. p 36. eLibrary. Proquest. 09 Feb 2007. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/canada>.18 Health Canada. “Road Traffic and Air Pollution.” Air Health Effects Division, Ottawa, 2005. 19 Wahl, Nicole. “Forecasting Earth’s Past and Future.” News@UofT : Science and Technology 8 Nov 2004. 28 Jan 2007 <http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/041108-670.asp>.

Toronto Star News writer