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by

The Honourable Laurel Broten
Minister of the Environment

Queen’s Park Child Care Centre (Toronto)
“Announcing Ontario’s New Industrial Air Standards for Better Air Quality (Regulation 419/05)”

Queen’s Park Child Care Centre
Toronto, ON

Monday, August 29, 2005

(Check Against Delivery)

Good morning and thank you to everyone here at Queen’s Park Child Care Centre for letting us share your wonderful space.

I’m here to talk to you about our government’s latest work on improving air quality – which will mean healthier Ontarians.

As the new Minister of the Environment, and as a soon-to-be mother, I can’t think of a better place to talk about protecting the health of our children, our families and our communities.

Air pollution has long been a cause of concern here in downtown Toronto. Where I live in Etobicoke, we feel the effects of smog as well, as do so many both in and outside of the GTA.

That is why last year, our government released its Five-point Action Plan for Cleaner Air. This aggressive plan set ambitious targets for reducing air pollutants and cleaning up the air we breathe.

People across Ontario suffer the consequences of bad air. The people who feel it most are the most vulnerable among us – our children and our seniors.

Tout l’Ontario ressent les conséquences de la pollution de l’air. Les personnes qui souffrent le plus sont les plus vulnérables d’entre nous, c’est-à-dire les enfants et les personnes âgées.

It is hard to believe that for 18 days this summer, these children were not allowed to play outside because of the smog. It’s even worse for kids with asthma.

When children can no longer play outside or to breathe freely, we know we have to act.

For this reason, it is very gratifying for me, in my early days as Minister, to share some great news with the people of Ontario.

Simply put, it is the single largest step taken over the past 25 years to protect local communities from air toxics. It completes out five-point action plan.

Today I am announcing a new regulation that includes new standards for 40 harmful airborne pollutants.

These pollutants include carcinogens and other toxins that threaten the health of Ontarians every day.

J’annonce aujourd’hui un nouveau règlement qui renferme des normes plus strictes concernant 40 polluants atmosphériques nocifs. Ces polluants comprennent des substances carcinogènes et d’autres toxines qui menacent chaque jour la santé des Ontariens et des Ontariennes.

We are protecting local communities from the effects of air pollution by introducing a new and better approach to set, assess and enforce air standards.

This is the biggest step the Ontario government has taken in decades to curb emissions of toxic chemicals.

I’m proud to say it took the McGuinty government to do it.

We are setting air standards for the 21st century.

They have been developed with the most current science and replace standards that have been in effect far too long – since the 1970s.

And in some instances, the new standards are a hundred times stricter than before.

A number of these standards are for substances you’ll be familiar with – like chlorine and ammonia. Others are for industrial chemicals most of us have never heard of.

For example, vinyl chloride and cyclohexane are chemicals used in plastics and rubber products.

Vinyl chloride is a known human carcinogen. And now, for the first time in Ontario’s history, we have an industrial standard for this chemical.

Our new standard for cyclohexane is sixteen times stricter than the old standard. It is designed to protect against potential developmental effects in humans.

Better, improved science and hard work on the part of our scientists has made it possible for us to set new standards for a wide array of chemicals.

Limits for chlorine will now be a tenth of what they used to be. Our new chloroform standard is one hundred times stricter than the old standard.

The regulation also includes better air dispersion models. This means we can do a better job of assessing whether companies are meeting our environmental standards.

So, based on 21st century science, we get a better, clearer and more reliable picture of air emissions.

This government has succeeded in carrying out this plan because we worked co-operatively with industry, public health units, environmental groups, concerned citizens groups and other key stakeholders.

This has led to new rules and an open process that is flexible enough to meet the needs of everyone who must comply with it while being more protective of public health and our quality of life than ever before.

Earlier this year we announced tough limits on emissions of two key smog-causing pollutants – nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide – from seven key industrial sectors.

Those limits will be progressively strengthened in coming years. This means that emissions of the most significant smog-causing pollutants will be reduced dramatically in three phases, starting next year.

Ces deux annonces réunies constituent la mesure la plus importante qui ait été prise depuis des décennies en matière de réglementation des polluants atmosphériques et feront en sorte de protéger notre santé et notre environnement.

Taken together, our two announcements are the biggest step forward in regulating air toxins in decades and will protect our health and environment.

Our five-point action plan is now a reality. We have taken swift action to implement all five points – in just 16 months.

The McGuinty government has tackled the troubling issue of smog in a number of ways:

• Today’s new regulation, setting standards for 40 air toxics, the single biggest move on this file in 25 years.
• Capping the largest industrial sources of smog causing emissions.
• Planning a rejuvenation of energy system by phasing out the coal plants and replacing them with energy conservation and cleaner, greener sources.
• Protecting 1.8 million hectares of important land through the Greenbelt, a blow against the blight of urban sprawl.
• By investing in public transit, giving people a real choice about their own transportation mode.

I am proud to belong to a government that is taking such aggressive and innovative action to address air quality in Ontario.

We are serious about air pollution.

We are closing coal-fired electricity plants.

We are investing in new, greener fuels such as ethanol.

We are leading the energy conservation effort by cutting our own energy use by 10 per cent.

Today, we are taking one more important step forward by introducing air standards for the 21st century.

These are real, positive changes that will improve the quality of life in communities across Ontario.

Most importantly, they will lead to a healthier and more prosperous future for these children and the young people of today.

Our health and environment are too precious to sacrifice. These kids deserve fresh air, now and for the rest of their lives.

Thank you.

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