1. Airshed Management Planning in the Cariboo By Andy Motherwell Director, Area B Cariboo Regional District and Ric Raynor Director of Emergency Services City of Quesnel UBCM Conference 2004

2.  Air quality has been a long- standing issue in the Quesnel area  The City of Quesnel and adjacent Cariboo Regional District Electoral Areas have a population of about 20,000 residents near the confluence of the Quesnel and Fraser rivers  Forestry and mining continue to be key economic drivers for the area Introduction

3.  The Quesnel Air Quality Roundtable (QAQR) was formed because:  Quesnel experiences some of the worst air quality in the province (fine particulate matter)  Growing awareness of the concern for health and negative reputation of the community due to air pollution Introduction

4.  Focus will be on Quesnel, however Williams Lake, 120km to the south, also has an airshed planning process underway  Williams Lake process is about one year behind Quesnel Introduction

5. Presentation Overview  Participants  Project History  Funding  Process  Accomplishments  Summary

6. Participants  Quesnel Environmental Society (Roundtable Chair)  City of Quesnel  Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection (MWLAP)  Ministry of Forests  Ministry of Transportation  Cariboo Regional District  Northern Health Authority  Quesnel Community Health Council  North Cariboo Share  School District 28  11 industrial/commercial companies

7. Project History  Quesnel Environmental Society tabled project proposal developed with assistance from MWLAP and local government  Six-year project (half-way through year four) aimed at producing Airshed Management Plans for both communities

8. Project History  Benchmark: conduct a thorough scientific study upon which to base recommendations  Goal: tackle all identified sources of air pollution, from back yard residential burning to large industrial sources  Fundamental principle: implement recommendations while maintaining jobs

9. Financial Contributions Funding Source Quesnel Williams Lake MWLAP i.$37,500 per year for 5 years = $187,500 ii.“In-kind” contributions City $21,000 per year for 5 years = $105,000 HRDC$100,000- Local Health Authority $52,000 Cariboo Regional District $25,000

10.  Air technician salary  Air monitoring instruments  Computer dispersion modelling  Specialized air quality analysis (particle speciation)  Brochures/public education  Other air quality assessment needs e.g. woodstove survey if required  Advertising for woodstove “swap-outs” Funding Covers

11.  Industrial/commercial monitoring for ambient and emissions  Potential upgrades of pollution control equipment by industry as a result of process  Source characterization / speciation for industry  Existing MWLAP Cariboo Region Air Quality Program  Airshed meeting costs Funding Does Not Cover

12. Process  A formal, written agreement has been signed by the funding partners  Important to note that airshed planning process is a community initiative, and is not being led by MWLAP  MWLAP’s role: financial, administrative, and technical support to the process

13. Process  Industry supported the process because all sources of air pollution were to be tackled  Meetings held at lunch – hosted by the City of Quesnel  Good attendance from most participants continues

14. Process  True Roundtable – everyone is equal e.g. elected officials sit down with air quality technical experts, industry, environmentalists, municipal staff  Decisions made by consensus  Much “goodwill” among Roundtable

15. Accomplishments  Enhanced air quality monitoring through:  New “state of the art” monitoring equipment  Hiring a technician to run the monitoring network (reliable data)  Better public reporting on air quality (e.g. air quality advisories)

16. Accomplishments  Improved public education on air quality through:  Media releases  Open house by Roundtable  Air Quality Index reporting  Brochures  Web access to air quality information

17. Accomplishments  Initiated a Cariboo-wide woodstove swap program held in 2002 and 2003:  allowed consumers a 15% discount when they exchanged an old woodstove for an appliance that was CSA/EPA emissions certified

18. Accomplishments  Held an Automobile Emissions Testing Clinic in co-operation with Environment Canada:  325 vehicles tested  Raised public awareness about automobile emissions

19. Accomplishments  Identified early on that spring road dust should be immediately addressed  Technical subcommittee reviewed current traction material application and cleanup procedures  Action recommended to the Roundtable  Preliminary results indicate that spring time road dust levels have been reduced in the downtown area as a result of these actions

20. Accomplishments  Improved scientific understanding of sources causing poor air quality through:  Detailed inventory of emission sources  Reviewing existing data on air quality  Computer dispersion modelling of air pollution sources  Ranking of various source contributions

21. Accomplishments  Summarized all air quality assessment information into a report to form the scientific basis for the development of an airshed plan  Conclusion: all sectors will have to make improvements

22. Accomplishments  Developed 28 recommendations to be included in the airshed plan  The airshed plan has a 10-year implementation timeframe: 2004 – 2014 during which time there will be periodic reviews of progress and goals

23. Draft Airshed Plan Recommendations  Our 28 recommendations pertain to improvements in air quality by all sectors: industry, municipal and regional governments, home owners  The range of recommendations go from further restrictions on burning to improved dust control to improvements in emissions by industry  Public education is a key component of the airshed plan

24. Implementation  Voluntary process  Roundtable will request annual reports from all stakeholders outlining activities toward implementing airshed plan recommendations

25. Current Activities  Draft airshed plan for Quesnel being reviewed by the Roundtable  Public consultation to be late Fall, 2004  Goal is adoption of the airshed plan by the end of 2004

26. Summary  The Quesnel Air Quality Roundtable has developed an improvement plan for air quality for the City of Quesnel  This is a voluntary, multi- stakeholder, community driven process that has achieved this by consensus  The airshed plan is based on a thorough 3-year scientific study of air quality  Airshed planning is linked to other community initiatives

27. Community Energy Planning  The City of Quesnel has been actively exploring other environmental sustainability initiatives  The City of Quesnel Community Energy Planning Options Report was completed in August, 2003

28. Airshed Management Planning in the Cariboo Questions and Discussion Andy Motherwell Director, Area B Cariboo Regional District

29. Would You Like More Information? http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/car/env_ protection/index.html#airshed