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Media Backgrounder

June 25, 2003

ONTARIO’S SMOG PATROL PREPARES FOR SMOG SEASON

The Smog Patrol is out this summer targeting grossly polluting vehicles and encouraging drivers to take care of their vehicles to help improve air quality in Ontario. A well-tuned vehicle runs more efficiently, lasts longer and uses less fuel than one that is poorly maintained.

The Smog Patrol — also known as Ontario’s Vehicle Emissions Enforcement Unit — supports and complements Ontario’s Drive Clean program by conducting roadside emissions inspections of vehicles throughout the province. The environmental officers ensure vehicles are not emitting excessive smoke. They also check that the emissions control equipment has not been tampered with or removed.

New bike units

To supplement the fleet of marked vehicles the officers usually drive, the team is pilot-testing two new bike units this summer. The four-officer bicycle unit focuses on cities and towns, such as the Greater Toronto Area, London, Ottawa, Niagara Falls, Sudbury and Windsor. The officers negotiate their way through bumper-to-bumper traffic to quickly reach and pull over grossly polluting vehicles. The second unit is a two-officer motorcycle unit that focuses on pulling over vehicles along Ontario’s highways.

Province-wide inspections

Regardless of whether drivers live in or outside the Drive Clean program area, vehicles could be pulled over by the Smog Patrol for an inspection anywhere in Ontario. This spring, Smog Patrol officers conducted blitzes in Hawkesbury, Barrie, Brockville, Tillsonburg, as well as in large urban centres across the province. This summer drivers will also see the uniformed officers conducting inspections in northern Ontario, including Thunder Bay, Kenora and Sault Ste. Marie. The Smog Patrol will also continue to conduct inspections in major cities such as Windsor, Ottawa and Toronto.

What the officers look for during inspections

The Smog Patrol inspects vehicles registered in Ontario and from out-of-province. Just as out-of-province vehicles must comply with Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, they must also comply with Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act.

When inspecting light-duty vehicles (weighing 4,500 kilograms or less), the Smog Patrol officers give the car, SUV or pickup truck a thorough visual inspection to determine if the vehicle is emitting excessive smoke.

The officers also check that the vehicle has the emissions control system it was originally equipped with — or replaced with approved after-market parts — and that all of the components are in place and connected. Generally, Smog Patrol officers look at the following components: catalytic converters, evaporative emission system (fuel tank cap and vapour canister), positive crankcase ventilation system, thermostatic air intake system, air injection reaction system, exhaust gas recirculation system, oxygen sensor and computer control system.

When inspecting heavy-duty diesel powered vehicles (weighing more than 4,500 kilograms), the officers conduct a snap acceleration test. The vehicle engine is revved from idle to the maximum governed speed three times. Sensors placed in the exhaust pipes read the maximum peak opacity — the degree to which visible emissions obstruct the passage of light — for each snap. The three results are averaged and then compared to the emission standards under the Environmental Protection Act.

Opacity for heavy-duty vehicles, up to and including 1990 models, must not exceed 55 per cent. For 1991 model years and later, the opacity must not exceed 40 per cent. In April of 2004 and again in April of 2005 those opacity standards will be further tightened.

Smog Patrol officers can ticket the drivers/owners of grossly polluting vehicles up to $425 for the first offence for heavy-duty vehicles and $305 for light-duty vehicles. Repeat offenders may be issued additional tickets or receive higher fines and have their vehicle licence plates seized.

The facts about smog

Smog is a mixture of ground-level ozone, toxic gases and fine particulate matter that can damage both human health and the environment. The contaminants that create smog are released during the combustion of fossil fuels in our vehicles, power plants, factory boilers and homes. They are also released by industrial processes, the evaporation of liquid fuels and the use of solvents and other volatile products such as oil-based paints. Ontario’s smog is caused by a combination of local emissions and pollutants carried by the wind from the United States. More than half our smog comes from south of the border.

When poor air quality is forecast, everyone can protect themselves from the effects of smog by reducing their exposure to it. Furthermore, everyone can help improve the quality of the air by:

• restricting the use of equipment powered by gasoline, diesel or natural gas;
• avoiding the use of oil-based paints, solvents and cleaners;
• taking public transit or car pooling;
• turning off their vehicle to avoid prolonged periods of idling;
• refueling their vehicle during the cooler hours of the day;
• leaving mowing the lawn for another day;
• turning down the air conditioning and reducing electricity consumption;
• avoiding barbecuing and limiting the use of wood-burning fireplaces and stoves.

For more information on the Smog Patrol call 1-866-482-9967 (toll free). For information on Drive Clean, call 1-888-758-2999 (toll free) or visit www.driveclean.com. And for information on the Ontario government’s other air quality initiatives, visit http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/air.htm. 

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Contact:
Deborah Cope
Ministry of the Environment
(416) 314-6591