Location: Ministry Home > Ontario's Anti-Smog Action Plan > HTML Version

This is a HTML version of the original PDF document. The HTML version is being provided for reading purposes only and is not the official version of the document.

1.0 Introduction

The purpose of this report is to provide an update on actions that have been taken to reduce smog, which in turn will lessen its harmful effects on human health and the environment. It documents activities between January, 1998, when what was then known as Ontario's Smog Plan was first released, and March, 1999. It also highlights some of the significant activities between 1996 and 1998 as the Plan was being developed. (In late 1999 the Plan was renamed the AntiSmog Action Plan [ASAP], and the Steering Committee is now the Operating Committee.)

What is smog?

Smog is formed when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react together in the presence of sunlight to form ground-level ozone. Smog is a mixture of ground- level ozone and microscopic airborne particulate mater (PM) known as inhalable and respirable particles (IP/RP).

In Ontario, the largest sources of smog-causing emissions are cars, trucks and buses. Various industrial activities, including power generation and heating combustion, also make significant contributions to smog.

Sources in the United States account for more than half of Ontario's smog problem.

Air pollution and smog aggravate a wide range of health and environmental problems. Health problems include asthma, bronchitis and cardiac illness. Other health effects include breathing problems, increased hospital admissions and restricted activity on heavy smog days.

Smog is also linked to other environmental issues such as acid rain, air pollution and climate change. Significant ozone concentrations may also damage exposed vegetation, including agricultural crops, forest vegetation and other plant communities.

Taking action - the Anti-Smog Action Plan

In 1990, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) released its Phase I NOx and VOC Management Plan. The CCME's plan identified regions in Canada which suffer from smog, and the Windsor-Quebec corridor was recognized as one of the worst smog regions in the country.

In 1994, the federal environment and energy ministers called for a "next steps" NOx/VOC strategy as a follow-up to the 1990 CCME plan. In 1995, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment initiated the development of a collaborative planning process to take action on smog. First, the ministry assembled baseline emissions data for 1990 from all known sources of smog-causing pollutants. Then, NOx and VOC emissions were projected to the year 2015 to enable stakeholders and the public to determine what action could and should be taken to address the smog problem.

In June 1996, the ministry released Towards a Smog Plan for Ontario and proposed emission reduction targets for discussion at a stakeholder workshop. Subsequently, the multi-stakeholder Smog Plan Steering Committee and sector/sub-sector work groups were formed to develop and implement a smog reduction process.

As a step toward addressing fine particulates in smog, the minister announced in November, 1997, an interim ambient air quality criterion for inhalable particles of 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air, expressed as a 24-hour average. This served as the benchmark for the development of the Canada-wide standard for particulate matter.

By January, 1998, Ontario's Smog Plan: A Partnership for Collective Action was published by the Steering Committee, representing, in the initial phase, the work of hundreds of partners and organizations. The centrepiece of the Plan was Ontario's Smog Accord, which outlined the intent of 44 signatories to work toward specific emission reduction targets. Supporting the Smog Accord and Plan was Ontario's Smog Plan: Draft 1997 Work Group Reports Compendium Document, a document comprising work group plans and reports detailing their status.

The process for the Plan includes a number of "engagement" steps. For example, partners' involvement includes:

• indicating "in principle" participation by signing the Smog Accord, Letter of Intent, Letter of Cooperation or Memorandum of Understanding;
  
  
• confirmation of their 1990 baseline for NOx and VOC emissions;
  
  
• identifying "quick start" actions that could be implemented in the near term;
  
  
• developing reduction plans and determining reductions that could be achieved over five-year cycles (2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015); and,
  
  
• implementation, monitoring and reporting on emissions reductions.

Three types of partners associate with the Anti-Smog Action Plan. The first are partners who were already engaged in the CCME process for NOx and VOC (the MOE would accept and include the reductions/commitments made through that process). The second type are partners who have developed a plan and are just embarking on quick starts and/or reductions. And the third type are "new entry partners" who are just beginning to plan. ASAP commits to report annually on the progress of the plan partners, signatories and work groups. The Operating Committee and the Ontario government will review this progress and build on existing and planned efforts by smog partners to reduce emissions.

Ontario's smog reduction target

The Anti-Smog Action Plan sets an air quality target - to achieve, by 2015, a 75 per cent reduction in the number of times a year ozone readings exceed the ambient air quality criterion (AAQC) of 80 parts per billion. (The starting point for the reduction target is the average number of exceedences in the years 1990 to 1994.)

The Plan tabled Ontario's 1990 baseline emissions of 659 kilotonnes of NOx and 868 kT of VOCs from all known sectors. For the air quality target to be met, the ministry estimated that an emissions reduction of 45 per cent from the 1990 baseline would be necessary by 2015. The Plan recognizes that inhalable and respirable particulates are a key component of smog. Little was known about the sources and the quantities of particulates emitted, but to assist in benchmarking reductions, the ministry established an interim target of a 10 per cent reduction, with the full recognition that a comprehensive understanding of source appor- tionment (both domestically and internationally) would need to be achieved before effective reduction strategies could be developed.

ASAP also features a mix of regulation, policy and voluntary action - an approach that is considered to be the most effective for reducing smog-related emissions, while ensuring a level playing field.

Progress through partnership and collaborative action

The Anti-Smog Action Plan is a 20-year plan and action agenda focusing on emission reductions for ozone precursors (NOx and VOCs) and reductions of emissions contributing to particulate matter (sulphur dioxide, NOx, VOCs and particles). Key components of the Plan include:

• Ontario's Smog Accord - symbolizing the commitment of more than 50 signatory associations to cleaner air;
  
  
• a commitment of signatories to a target of a 75 per cent reduction by 2015 in the number of times the one-hour ozone criterion of 80 parts per billion is exceeded;
  
  
• a 45 per cent reduction in total NOx and VOC emissions from the 1990 Ontario baseline;
  
  
• a commitment to develop a particulate matter strategy for Ontario;
  
  
• "quick start" actions to achieve immediate short-term reductions for identified initiatives;
  
  
• development of longer-term emission reduction plans and updating long-term plans on a five-year cycle; and,
  
  
• implementation of a disciplined management process and organizational structure.

More than 130 organizations participated in the development of ASAP. Many of these were associations or umbrella groups, representing a much larger cross-section of member companies, agencies and organizations.

"The Alliance of Manufacturers & Exporters Canada supports the participation of all relevant stakeholders to develop cost-effective anti-smog actions that produce measurable air quality improvements in Ontario. The Alliance believes that the Anti-Smog Action Plan is an excellent example of what can be achieved when stakeholders work collaboratively."

Ian Howcroft
Vice President, Ontario Division
Alliance of Manufacturers & Exporters Canada

As of March 31, 1999, 33 work groups reported progress:

• 18 work groups confirmed their 1990 baseline emissions;
  
  
• 22 identified "quick start" actions to achieve reductions in the short term;
  
  
• 12 developed plans for additional reductions;
  
  
• nine reported measured reductions;
  
  
• three have developed new reduction plans; and,
  
  
• all work groups developed customized approaches to smog reduction.

Action Plan. As of March 31, 1999, identified, planned or implemented reduction opportunities toward the 45 per cent reduction target for 2015 are expected to achieve up to approximately 80 per cent of the targeted reductions for NOx and 60 percent of the targeted reductions for VOCs. Appendix 2 of this report, Summary of Ontario's Anti-Smog Action Plan Progress Report: NOx and VOC Reduction Commitments as of March 1999, reviews the quantified progress reported from Ontario sectors and associations.

Anti-Smog Action Plan Reductions Identified, Planned or Implemented March 1999
Baseline NOx Emissions (1990)	45% Target (2015)	NOx Reduction Amount Identified, Planned or Implemented kilotonnes (kt)	Baseline VOC Emissions (1990)	45% Target (2015)	VOC Reduction Amount Identified, Planned or Implemented kilotonnes (kt)
659 kt	296 kt	217 - 242 kt	868 kt	390 kt	202 - 228 kt

A key goal of the Ontario Anti-Smog Action Plan is to reduce both nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds emissions by 45 per cent from their 1990 level. The actual required emission reductions might be greater since emissions by 2015 have been projected to increase due to economic growth (Towards a Smog Plan for Ontario, June 1996). It is also anticipated that the development of new industrial and environmental technologies might cause a significant decrease in emissions from certain industrial processes. Ontario's commitment is to cap NOx/VOC emissions 45 per cent below the 1990 levels by 2015. For additional information on forecasted growth with estimated reductions see Proposed Performance Indicators for Ontario's Anti-Smog

"We have worked side by side with Ontario's Ministry of the Environment for more than six years in an effort to bring the Province and its constituents cleaner air. This co-operative association is a model for how a government-industry working relationship should operate. The Anti-Smog Accord and ASAP process allows us to continue this association and to further our participation in the efforts and achievements made to date towards combating smog."

Steve Quinn
President
Protect Air Inc.

---

If you are having difficulty accessing a document, please contact the Ministry of the Environment at picemail@ene.gov.on.ca or phone the ministry's Public Information Centre at 1- 800-565-4923, in Toronto 416-325-4000 or by mail to the Ministry of the Environment, Public Information Centre, 135 St. Clair Ave. West, 1st Floor, Toronto, ON. M4V 1P5.

---

To view/print PDF documents, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader. Adobe Acrobat Reader is free and can be downloaded from the Adobe web site. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader.