Air Quality and the Environment

One of the things that makes Canada a wonderful place to live is the care the government and its people take in making sure the environment is protected and preserved. They set aside forest reserves and designated green parks in residential areas to make sure the air quality is protected.

The more proactive approach they do in taking care of the environment is making sure the air quality is high and to reduce air pollution.

In big cities like Vancouver where there are a lot of cars, air quality can really get bad if it goes unchecked. British Columbia has a strict vehicle emissions standard where every vehicle is required to go through an emissions test before it can be insured.

In British Columbia, to enforce this standard, the vehicle's insurance is attached to its registration and license plate and you get them together through ICBC, a government owned and controlled corporation or as they call it, a crown corporation. ICBC is an insurance company that deals with anything automobile related in B.C.

The emissions testing program in B.C. is called AirCare. The AirCare program was developed in 1992 to address the deteriorating air quality of the Lower Fraser Valley. It is the first emissions testing program in Canada. Ontario's emissions testing program called Drive Clean began in 1999. It is adminstered by the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority or TransLink.

Depending on what model year your vehicle is made, you are required to go through an emissions test every certain number of years. Effective January 1, 2007, the schedule is

• Vehicles 1991 and older, every year and the fee is $23.
• Vehicles 1992 and newer, every two years and the fee is $45.
• Vehicles 2000 and newer, every seven years.

If you fail the AirCare emissions test, you cannot renew your auto insurance and registration. Since it is illegal to drive a vehicle in Canada without a valid insurance, you will either get ticketed or your car will be towed and impounded if you get caught by the police.

Since the AirCare computers are connected with ICBC, if you fail your AirCare test and go to an insurance broker to insure your car, the computer sytem will block it and the agent will not be able to continue process. This ensures that you get your vehicle checked and repaired before you renew or get your insurance.

By law, AirCare must cover its operating cost through test fees. The fees are designed to recover the full annual operating cost of the AirCare program. The fees does not return any contribution, profit or dividend to TransLink. The program is operated on a user-pay basis with no deficit financing.

What this means is, if AirCare is losing money, the government will not give it funds so they have to increase their fees. If AirCareis making money, they are required to lower the fees to reflect the increase revenue. So in effect, AirCaredoes not use any of the taxpayer's money.

So, does AirCare work? Has it been effective in improving the air quality in the Lower Fraser Valley? According to AirCare, in its first fourteen years, it was able to reduce vehicle emissions by 29%. An additional 42% reduction in emissions is due to new vehicle engine and emissions control technology for a total of 71%. This has prevented over 800,000 tonnes of Carbon Monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and Nitrogen Oxide (NO) from being released into the atmosphere.

Aside from having AirCare, the various cities and municipalities is actively making improvements around their cities to reduce vehicle emissions. One way they do this is by using cleaner fuel like natural gas, gas-electric hybrid and electric buses. The government is also adding hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius to its fleet as well as natural gas and propane powered vehicles.

Bike lanes are also implemented and the city has also put up several bike racks so bikers have a place to lock up and park their bikes. This also promotes the public to be more active and have a healthier lifestyle.

Each city also has an active recycling and waste management program to reduce waste and minimize the use of landfills.

These are just some of the ways Canada protects its environment and preserve its natural resources. Which makes Canada one of the most livable place in the world.