Casual poll to see if there is justification for installing Aircare facilities here in PG with which to drain more after tax dollars from the populace? Or am I just being paranoid about governments after my remaining after tax dollars? What else could be the reasoning behind this exercise? Curiosity? I doubt it. We have the worst air in BC, two years running. Could that be another excuse? We will see.

I concur. The reason this is now being brought forward is due to the bucket brigade being on the brink of positively identifying the source of our air shed contamination.

It can only be:
1) home wood heating
2) Recreational fires
3) Vehicle emissions
4) Waste pile burning
5) industry

Let's break it down
1) very few regularly heat their homes with wood whether it be fireplace or wood fired furnace. Maybe on very cold days the numbers go up, but really how many are still in operation?

2) I suppose if every fire pit in town were lit for an extended time it might introduce some measurable particulate.

3) Vehicle emissions for the most part have been addressed by the manufacturers. Heavy trucks and larger vehicles would be contributing more. If the heavy trucks and big engine pick ups were targeted for testing they would find something, hardly enough to account for the levels we have here. The mills should be using rail to move chips from sawmill to pulp mill and to ship ALL finished products to port. Almost all long hauls and many regular short hauls should be rail. I can see that moving an excavator or other huge equipment by truck is needed.

4) Waste piles are infrequent and generaly contained to a small area at a time.

5) Let the games begin! We know it is industry. Industry denies it. Some EMPLOYEES defend their right to pollute because they are providing jobs. I call bull doody. The technologies exist to remove most particulates and odor contamination. Industry suggests that the cost are too onerous for them to implement those technologies. I suggest the cost of them not doing so is our health and well being. What good is employment if our quality of life suffers. If executives can receive million dollar bonuses, then industry can indeed afford to be better citizens.

can any of these bright boys calculate how much pollution has been given off by the forest fires that have been going all summer?

Obviously Gordo and his crew are not in a position to purchase carbon credits pertaining to forest fires.