Council Takes the Next Step On Air Quality

By 250 News

Task Force members (l-r) Melanie Noullett, Dr. Peter Jackson, Gina Layte Liston, Joan Chess

Prince George, B.C. -  The City is armed with a lot of information about air quality management and improvement and, according to Acting Mayor Don Bassermann, it's now time "to take the various pieces and turn them into policy statements that can advance the cause."

With that goal in mind, City Councillors have unanimously endorsed a recommendation to have a Corporate Air Quality and Climate Change Strategic Plan prepared for their consideration.  The plan will lay out a long-term strategy recognizing the importance of air quality improvements to the sustainability of Prince George as a place to live, raise a family, work and invest.

It will take into consideration information received from groups such as the Mayor's Task Force on Air Quality Improvement, the Prince George Air Quality Implementation Committee, and submissions from staff, from residents, and others.

During a Committee of the Whole meeting this evening to discuss the final report of the Mayor's Task Force on Air Quality Improvement and its recommendation, Bassermann says it's time for City Council to give some "substance" to all the work that has been done.

The City's Environment Manager Mark Fercho says,  "There's no silver bullet solution." 

"If you look at the laws that are available to us:  laws to manage land are very mature, the same with laws to manage water -- very mature, set in history --  but if you look at air quality...a lot of the laws around air quality are still being developed."

Fercho points out air quality management is primarily a provincial responsibility.  "With the City, we're limited to direct control over air quality when we do zoning and rezoning -- in terms of what type of use will be on the land, then in terms of dust control and then some burning -- other than that, as a municipality, we have no authority over air quality."

He says, "Our role then becomes an advocate of change, so we work with groups such as the Ministry of Environment, citizens groups, industry and federal government and we advocate for positive change." 

"I, for one, am interested in moving forward with some urgency, but we need to be cautious," says Councillor Don Zurowski.   "The provincial government has talked about a green mandate -- which is very good, we're going to see more of that in the provincial budget -- but at the same time it caused Greymount, which was a lime quarry out in Giscome to stop moving forward in the application process til there's clarity around what the provincial government means."

Zurowski says, "So it's important that we bring clarity to our expectations as we move forward rather than scaring off opportunity for this region.  Because I don't suppose I will ever separate jobs from the environment -- because I think we can have both."

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