The Capitale-Nationale pales in comparison to the city of Montreal for air quality, which could be partly due to the lag in monitoring wood-burning stoves.
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Five of the 11 stations where the Department of the Environment lists the worst annual average for particulate matter are in the Quebec region, versus just one on the island of Montreal.
Worst Resorts in Quebec
FINE PARTICLES
| 1. | Primula School | 43 | 9.46 |
| 2. | Karlsburg | 38 | 8.27 |
| 3. | Henry IV | 24 | 9.38 |
| 4. | St Charles Garnier College | 23 | 8.38 |
| 5. | Old Limoilou | 20 | 8.70 |
| WHO standard: | 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Sources: Government of Quebec, RSQAQ, RSQA MTL, WHO
In Quebec we also find the place where we counted the most days (43) with bad air quality in 2021, near the elementary school Les Primevères-Jouvence.
This school is located in a suburban neighborhood that grew up in the ’70s and ’80s. Many single-story homes are heated with wood, a Quebec Public Health report explains.
This station was also selected by the Ministry for monitoring pollution from wood-fired heating.
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From 2009 to 2021, the number of smog days in Montreal fell from 35 to 7. In 2020 and 2021, the Capitale-Nationale had the highest number of smog days in the province, 19 and 15, respectively. almost double what was observed in Montreal
Since September 1, 2021, it is now forbidden to heat with wood when there is a smog warning in the Quebec region. From 2026, wood-burning stoves, stoves or boilers must be certified appliances.
“I think the regulation will have a positive impact on air quality,” believes Dr. Philippe Robert from the CIUSSS de Capitale-Nationale health department.
Quebec is a decade behind Montreal in terms of wood stove control.
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
The air quality analysis station along the Henri-IV highway in Quebec.
Late
In 2020 and 2021, the Capitale-Nationale had the most smog days in the province with 19 and 15, respectively, nearly double Montreal’s.
The Capitale-Nationale had more than twice as many bad air quality days (67) as the metropolis (28) in 2021.
“It is certain that Quebec is lagging behind and not in lockstep with Montreal in terms of wood stoves and public transport,” stresses Johanne Elsener, president of Santé urbanité.
Ms. Elsener also sat as a citizen member on the Working Group on Atmospheric Pollutants (GTCA) set up by the Legault government in Limoilou District.
The future tram, which will be electric, should help fight air pollution, specifies Ms. Elsener, who adds that there is also a gap in the development of the bicycle network between Quebec and Montreal.
Next to Les Primevères School, Quebec City’s Henri IV station has the second-highest particulate matter average in the province.
Quebec
Primula School
Municipal train station
Bad air quality in 2022
43 days
major contaminant
PM2.5 fine particles
Annual average of pollutants
micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3)
Quebec
Henry IV
Municipal train station
Bad air quality in 2022
24 days
major contaminant
PM2.5 fine particles
Annual average of pollutants
micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3)
Quebec
Old Limoilou
Municipal train station
Bad air quality in 2022
20 days
major contaminant
PM2.5 fine particles
Annual average of pollutants
micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m₃)
The Vieux-Limoilou station is also among the worst.
“There has been local controversy in Limoilou, but our message is that particulate matter is everywhere in Quebec and impacts are everywhere […] We therefore have an interest in reducing emissions everywhere,” notes Dr. Robert firmly.
victim of the winds?
After all, this brings some nuances to Quebec’s poor record.
“Quebec has had significant citizen mobilization for several years and that may have laid the record [de la qualité de l’air] a little more to the fore,” he notes
The expert also points out that some of Quebec’s air pollution is brought there by the winds.
“The prevailing winds come from the southwest, that is, from the Saint Lawrence Valley to the north, following the river. Of course there is a part [de la pollution] coming from Montreal and part from the United States, from the Great Lakes region,” he describes.
He adds that the particles travel several kilometers. For example, in the summer of 2020, a peat bog fire in Bas-Saint-Laurent resulted in a large amount of fine particles in Quebec City and as far away as Longueuil.
Montreal has improved
Montrealers have been breathing a little better for 10 years.
The worst train stations in Montreal
FINE PARTICLES
| 1. | decarie exchange | 18 | 9.08 |
| 2. | Saint-Jean-Baptist | 10 | 8.43 |
| 3. | Riviere des Prairies | 9 | 6.94 |
| 4. | barracks 17 | 7 | 7.27 |
| 5. | Montreal Airport | 7 | 6.55 |
| WHO standard: | 5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Sources: Government of Quebec, RSQAQ, RSQA MTL, WHO
“Montreal was the first Canadian city to address air pollution,” said Fabrice Godefroy, department head of the City of Montreal’s Air Quality Monitoring Network (RSQA), during the meeting, an air quality conference organized by UQAM, in early February.
In 2009, the city of Montreal banned the installation of uncertified wood stoves. Between 2011 and 2014, financial incentives were offered to Montrealers to remove or replace their old heaters. Since 2015 it has also been forbidden to heat with wood on smog days. And finally, since 2018 it is forbidden to use an uncertified device.
For example, the number of smog days in Montreal fell from 35 to 7 from 2009 to 2021.
“Montreal has more problems, they have a more exposed population and more dense population, which leads to more problems, so it is certain that they were prompted to take action more quickly,” specifies Audrey Smargiassi, associate researcher at INSPQ.
There’s still a long way to go
In Montreal, transportation is the top contributor to particulate matter 2.5 emissions, ahead of wood heating, which followed closely, and well ahead of industrial sources.
“Overall, Montreal air quality is improving, but it remains a leading cause of premature death,” Nuance told Alexandre Barris, a toxicologist at the Montreal Regional Directorate of Public Health.
So there is still a long way to go. For example, if we look at the Montréal-North sector, which includes Station Décarie and Barracks 17 on Rue de Charleroi, annual average levels of particulate matter remain among the highest in Quebec.
Montreal
barracks 17
Municipal train station
Bad air quality in 2022
7 days
major contaminant
PM2.5 fine particles
Annual average of pollutants
micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3)
Mont Royal
decarie exchange
Municipal train station
Bad air quality in 2022
18 days
major contaminant
PM2.5 fine particles
Annual average of pollutants
micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3)
Where is the best place to live? In the city or in the region?
“I wouldn’t move out of cities immediately because it’s not obvious that you’re going to have better air quality,” said David Widory, a professor at UQAM and a specialist in air pollution traceability, who attended the same conference as Mr Godfroy.
“It will also depend a lot on the weather. Indeed if you move away from the cities […]”Either you follow the contamination plume and it’s basically like living in the city, or you deviate from the contamination plume and you have an air quality gain there,” he said.
There is more than just arsenic in the air at Rouyn-Noranda
Thierry de Noncourt/La Frontière/Agency QMI
The Monseigneur-Rhéaume Est station records one of the highest average levels of sulfur dioxide, a pollutant emitted mainly by industry, here from the Horne smelter. It is exceeded only by the annual average for Powell Park in Saguenay, which is affected by the presence of aluminum smelters.
The neighboring Parc Tremblay station is the only one in Rouyn-Noranda that measures particulate matter in Rouyn. There were 31 days when particles contributed to poor air quality.
Poor quality from paper factory
After Les Primevères school in Quebec, it is at Témiscaming station where we counted the most bad air quality days in 2021, namely 39. Particulate matter is the main cause, but on one of those days the sulfur dioxide was so high. This sector is influenced by its proximity to an industrial facility, the Temiscaming Complex (Rayonier). Because the station is located in a narrow valley, the spread of emissions from the paper mill is limited. Average particulate matter emission is also the third highest of any station at 9.37 ug/m3, nearly double the WHO standard. It also exceeds the Canadian standard of 8.8ug/M3. Note that Rayonier is not subject to any air quality standard. The Health Department is concerned about the health effects of particulate matter and is requesting that the plant be subjected to an immission standard in its next hygiene certificate, which is in preparation for renewal.
measuring station
Business
methodology
Sources: Department of Environment and Combating Climate Change, data from Quebec Air Quality Monitoring Network (RSQAQ) website, City of Montreal Air Quality Monitoring Network (RSQA), World Health Organization (WHO).
The number of days of poor air quality was calculated for PM2.5, ozone (O3), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) based on Department of Health Environment and Climate Change Mitigation (MELCC) thresholds. Some stations do not calculate these pollutants and measure others for which we have not found a threshold.
For PM2.5, this is the number of days on which the three-hour mean was above 35 µg/m3 at least once a day. The annual average of PM2.5 and sulfur dioxide (SO2) was calculated by averaging the hourly concentrations recorded over the year.
For the annual mean values of the stations Lac-Édouard and Sherbrooke – Parc Cambron, daily mean values were used instead of hourly data.
The WHO standard is used on the map for stations measuring particulate matter. For sulfur dioxide, this is the Canadian standard.