1. Overview of Canada’s Air Quality Activitiesby
Peggy Farnsworth
Director, Transboundary Air Issues Branch
Environment Canada
for presentation at
EMEP Workshop on Particulate Matter
Measurement & Modelling
New Orleans, April , 2004

2. Content Outline Air issues management in Canada
Role of federal government
Major drivers
PM and ozone Canada-wide Standards
Acid deposition
Canada-US Air Quality Agreement
International Agreements
Future directions/needs
Domestic
Transboundary transport
Emerging Issues - Intercontinental transport

3. Air Issues Management in Canada
Environmental management in Canada is shared among the federal, provincial and territorial governments
Governments work together on issues of national concern under the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) and the Canada-wide Accord on Environmental Harmonization and its Canada-wide Environmental Standards Sub-Agreement
Standards Sub-Agreement provides the mechanism for the development of Canada-wide Standards (CWSs) that apply across Canada
CWSs can be emission related or ambient based

4. Role of Federal Government
Atmospheric and environmental health science and research
National standards (e.g. new vehicles, fuels and products)
Management of toxic substances and their emissions reporting (NPRI)
Development, in consultation with provinces and territories, of national emission and ambient guidelines, codes of practice monitoring networks and air quality predictions

5. Role of Federal Government
Negotiation of multilateral and bilateral international environmental agreements
In addition, The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, (CEPA 99) provides the federal government flexible legislative authority to regulate emissions of air pollutants to ensure health and air quality protection
Federal House in Order and Corporate Smog Action Plans by federal departments

6. PM and Ozone Canada-wide Standards (CWSs)
Ambient CWSs for PM2.5 and ozone were approved by the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of the environment (except Québec*) in June 2000
Ambient PM2.5 and ozone targets to be achieved by 2010
PM2.5 – 30 mg/m3 as a 24-hour average
Ozone – 65 ppb as an 8-hour average

7. PM and Ozone Canada-wide Standards (CWSs) Main Elements
“Best efforts” provision
Continuous Improvement (CI) and Keeping Clean Areas Clean (KCAC) provisions
Guidance document on achievement determination
Monitoring protocol
Guidance document on CI/KCAC being developed

8. PM and Ozone Canada-wide Standards (CWSs) Main Elements
Set of Joint Initial Actions
Jurisdictional implementation plans to achieve targets by and for CI/KCAC (includes federal jurisdictional plan)
Reporting on progress in implementing all provisions of the CWS Agreement
Periodic scheduled reviews of the CWSs

9. PM2.5 Current Situation

10. Ozone Current Situation

11. Canada-wide Acid Rain Strategy for Post-2000
October 1998 – strategy signed by federal and provincial Energy and Environment ministers
Strategy includes
Setting targets and schedules for further reductions in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
further discussions on additional reductions in the US
Keeping Clean Areas Clean is one of the commitments under this strategy

12. Acid Deposition Current Situation
1996 – Wet deposition
Critical Loads

13. Canada - US Air Quality Agreement
Agreement signed in 1991
“Ozone Annex” added to the Agreement in December 2000
Currently evaluating the need for a “PM Annex”

14. International Agreements and Commitments
UN-ECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP):
Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone

15. Future Directions 2010 review of the PM and ozone CWS
Tracking effectiveness of existing and proposed emission reduction initiatives
Evaluation of role played by ammonia in PM formation
EC working closely with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada under the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) on efforts to control and reduce emissions of ammonia to the atmosphere
Evaluation of the transboundary transport potential of ammonia gas and ammonia-related particles
Continued evaluation of transboundary movements of PM and its precursors between Canada and the US

16. Emerging Issue - Intercontinental Transport
Currently more questions than answers
How frequent does it occur
What pollutants are at play
What are typical contributions
What is the frequency and magnitude of intercontinental transport high concentration events

17. Wrap-Up Introduced some of the main policy drivers in Canada
PM and ozone CWS
Acid deposition
Canada-US Air Quality Agreement
Introduce guidance for future direction/needs
Review of the CWS
Tracking effectiveness of emission actions
Transboundary transport
Intercontinental transport