Out, out,
damned smog!

>> Montrealers offer their solutions
to the hazy days of summer

by NOEMI LOPINTO

Unless the current trend changes, Montrealers may become accustomed to squinting at each other through a yellow haze of smog. This year’s smog warnings have already matched those of 2001, in which Montreal saw nine smog warnings and 19 “poor” air quality days, 16 more than the previous year. This past May, Montreal’s’ INFO-SMOG program, which provides daily forecasts and information on smog concentrations in the air, declared they were expanding their scope to include smog warnings in southern Quebec.

Smog forecasts consist of three categories: good, acceptable and poor. The evaluation is based on the quantity of ground-level ozone (not to be confused with the stratospheric ozone layer), which is a combination of various pollutants cooked by sunlight in the ambient air. It burns whatever it comes into contact with, says André Belisle, spokesperson for l’Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmospherique (AQLCPA). On a “poor” day, authorities recommend keeping children, the elderly and people who suffer from pulmonary, cardiac and respiratory diseases indoors, as well as sporty types given to outdoor activities. In fact, they recommend just about everybody stay inside.

Among the most important of the pollutants in ozone are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx); the latter occur whenever fossil fuels are burned, primarily by cars, trucks, trains, boats and planes. Other sources of noxious emissions are the fossil fuels used by industrial, commercial, agricultural, residential and institutional sectors.

As of last Friday, Montrealers have already had five smog warnings over an eight-day period. However, there are people in the city of Montreal with ideas on how to beat the smog invasion, from “clean energy” industry advocates to ordinary citizens with a petition.

Sébastien Gagné, spokesperson, Avenue Verte Mont-Royal

A small group of Plateau types want to turn all of Mont-Royal into a pedestrian-only zone. They envision keeping two lanes for public transport only (electric buses or streetcars) and letting the cyclists, in-line skaters and strollers dominate the pavement. Gagné says they have 8,500 signatures and counting.

“In other parts of the world they have had the guts to close streets off and give it back to pedestrians,” says Gagné. “Most big cities in Europe have at least one. Eighty per cent of people on Mont-Royal do not come by car but by public transit, on foot or by bicycle. We’ve read many books on what makes a good pedestrian street, and the conclusion is that there are two winning conditions: a majority of people already not coming by car, and efficient public transportation. We have a metro right on the avenue and there are 10 different buses that go across it, making the street accessible. There are so many cars on Mont-Royal, it really slows the buses down and there are small traffic jams every day.

“In Swedish cities, they found practical solutions to work around parking issues, deliveries and emergencies. A lot of people worry about the merchants on the avenue. We think most merchants should see an increase of revenue from this. It would make the air quality of the neighbourhood better, reduce the stress, the noise, and make it more enjoyable to shop. We are hoping for 20,000 signatures for when we give the petition to the City this fall. We will be requesting public hearings into this. We don’t come up with a detailed technical plan, we want people to talk about the concept. What we want to do is to engage the population.”

For more information on Avenue Verte Mont-Royal, visit www.montroyal-avenueverte.com.

Dylan Maxwell, owner, Boutique Je L’ai

You may have noticed Maxwell’s Volkswagen Golf, painted green with “This vehicle runs on vegetable oil” inscribed on its battered sides. Maxwell is applying to the provincial government for a licence to sell bio-diesel in his store on Duluth. He says the first step to cleaner fuel emissions is for the government to make a five per cent bio-diesel fuel minimum mandatory in all diesel engines.

“Bio-diesel is vegetable oil or animal fat with the glycerine removed,” says Maxwell. “You could theoretically blow yourself up removing it by hand, so you should buy it (bio-diesel is available in Quebec for under a dollar a litre). If the government grants us a fuel-selling permit, we will be selling it in a month. Volkswagens are cheap vehicles with cheap runner parts so they are warranteed at 15 per cent bio-diesel. Most tractors are warranteed for 100 per cent bio-diesel, just because they are made with better quality parts. So farmers could use bio-diesel too.

“All the government has to do is write a law saying that all diesel has to contain bio-diesel, and that in five years all cars have to be hybrids. The industries won’t do it unless the government makes them. Asking people to lower pollution on their own is like asking them to pay taxes voluntarily. In Ontario, they got rid of the provincial fuel tax for bio-diesel. If they got rid of the tax here, I could really compete. Hybrids really are the best solution right now. They produce half the pollution of other cars. The technology has been there for 50 years. My car is not new to a Dutch or German guy. We are so behind here. Why it isn’t mandatory in all cars I don’t understand, it’s just laziness. People don’t bother to do it.”

Normand Parisien, executive director, Transport 2000 Québec

Parisien thinks light-rails and a “transportation cocktail” are key to reducing car emissions on highways. The ratio of cars to citizens is rising, warns Parisien, and the development of better, cleaner mass public transit should be first priority. He says both the Tremblay administration and the provincial government have made promises, but they “lack momentum.”

“What is needed is surface transportation systems that are as efficient transportation for urban areas as for the suburbs,” says Parisien. “Ever since 1996, we’ve promoted a public awareness campaign with regards to air, atmosphere and energy conservation issues. It takes a public transportation user 40 years to consume what a motorist does in four. That’s why we promote developing transport infrastructure and services. Transport 2000 is progressively implementing electrically-propelled bus systems and light-rail transit system. We think that at least three lines could be set up in the next few years. Pie IX and Henri-Bourassa looks promising, maybe even Côte des Neiges and Parc. These roads see a lot of use. This must be a top priority for Montreal administrations because it improves public mobility and the quality of life for the surrounding populations. There are 200 or 300 cars for 1,000 inhabitants; it’s not going to be sustainable for much longer. It’s not only an environmental issue but also economic, when cities use public money for roadways at the expense of public transit. It’ s more costly, globally, to promote roadway policy than transit policy.”

Benoît Perron, president, Énergie Solaire Québec

Énergie Solaire president Benoît Perron is quite convinced that solar power is a competitive, viable energy source. Although still too expensive for the average homeowner, Perron says the industrial sectors have no excuse.

“When the ice storm hit, Quebecers found out how truly vulnerable they were,” says Perron. “We have really noticed a heightened interest in solar power since then. A lot of people bought diesel generators after that, but an alternative would have been an autonomous photovoltaic system. A lack of information means the energy scene is dominated by electric energy and the government has not invested a lot in our industry.

“The environmental crisis will force a look at solar power. Put a solar wall on large industrial buildings and it preheats the air before it penetrates the space where people work. Bombardier has recently installed solar walls on the east and west walls, and they saved about $325,000 in energy consumption in the first year. The applications for the commercial and industrial sectors are incredible. On a smaller scale, homeowners can warm their outdoor pools with solar panels, heat hot water and use photovoltaic panels for electricity. Hydro is what we call concentrated power, and solar and wind are distributed power—it’s small scale. We would like people to turn to methods of distributed power, like with a hybrid wind/solar system. We are the province with the most wind to harvest, and the Quebec gets 2,200 hours of sun a year. Paris only gets 1,600 hours a year. We are spoiled here. During the most expensive time of year to heat, from October 31 to March 31, a window receives the equivalent of 525 kilowatts/hour per square metre. This is free and doesn’t contribute to greenhouse gases. We are trying to educate architects, engineers and renovators in Quebec. All your housing needs can be met through solar power. There are homes with more windows to the north than the south—I think that’s crazy.”

Find out more about solar energy at www.esq.qc.ca (French only).

Smog can be conquered

The AQLCPA’s Belisle says the situation is dire, but if people act definitively, smog can be conquered.
“It’s important to know the factors involved—the increasing number of cars and heavy vehicles, climate change and industrial pollution. I’ve been working in this field for 20 years, and I’ve learned there is always hope. We managed to reduce acid rain by 75 per cent. We can improve the quality of air, but talk is cheap.” :