CITY OF BURLINGTON

DEVELOPMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION

For information not available through this medium, please contact the City Clerk's Department at (905) 335-7698.

Chairman and Members of the
Community Development Committee

THAT the City of Burlington adopt the Halton Public Sector Response Plan, dated October 1999

AND THAT a City Working Group be established to determine the implications of implementing the Smog Response Plan. The Working Group should include the following:

• Traffic and Transit
• Roads and Park Maintenance
• Health and Safety Co-ordinator
• Environment Co-ordinator
• Engineering
• Parks & Recreation
• Building
• Finance

AND THAT the Working Group report to CDC on or before April 10^th 2000 on specific measures the City will undertake to implement the Smog Response Plan, and any issues or suggested changes to the Plan.

None

Purpose

This report outlines the work of the Halton Public Sector Smog Response Committee and seeks Council’s endorsement of the Committee’s report, which details strategies which the public sector in Halton can adopt to combat the problem of smog.

The process of preparing a public sector smog response plan led by Halton Region staff and a preliminary range of potential actions were discussed by Management Committee on May 12, 1999. Direction was given by the Committee to update Council on this matter and this was done via an information report on the June 21,1999 Council agenda.

Further, direction was given to consult senior City staff to determine which air quality improvement strategies are already in place and which should be considered in the year 2000 and beyond. The consultation was undertaken. A report on the consultation process and recommended activities for the City of Burlington was presented to Management Committee at its meeting of 11 August 1999. Management Committee endorsed the report and its recommendations for forwarding to the Region, and indicated that it is subject to Council approval.

The Halton Public Sector Smog Response Committee has worked with recommendations from the City of Burlington and other organizations represented to develop the Halton Public Sector Response Plan. The team, consisting of representatives from the four area municipalities, the local hydro commissions, Conservation Halton, the two District School Boards and the Region, has met on several occasions to consider what joint action they might take to address the problem of poor air quality caused by smog.

This report was presented for endorsement of Regional Council at its meeting of 19^th of January 2000, with a recommendation that a copy of the resolution endorsing the Plan be circulated to all the participating partner agencies. Regional Council adopted the Strategy.

Smog is a distinct form of poor air quality, which results primarily from chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight. It is most visible as a brownish yellow haze, principally over urban areas, although suburban and rural areas are not exempt from smog. Wherever its location and whether visible or not, smog is hazardous to human health. Health impacts can include eyes, nose and throat irritation, reduction of lung capacity, aggravation of respiratory disease and even premature death.

Attached for Council’s adoption is the Committee’s final report, which identifies both short and long-term smog reduction strategies which the partners can adopt. In developing these strategies, the Committee recognizes that the impact which these strategies will have on the overall problem of local air quality is limited. However, air pollution has developed by many people taking actions to create pollution. Actions by individuals and organizations must occur to reverse the trend. The Smog Response Plan takes a leadership role and will be used to raise community awareness on this important issue. It is hoped that this leadership will encourage the private sector and the community at large to develop similar measures.

The key components of the Plan are the strategies, which can be implemented by the Partners to reduce the local impact of smog. These have been divided into two categories, i.e. those strategies which can be implemented within the next twelve months (Stage I of the Plan) and those longer-term strategies for which more detailed pre planning is required (Stage II of the Plan). These strategies are listed below. Those activities already being undertaken in the City of Burlington are indicated (*). Those recommendations where there is an existing ability are also identified (#)

1) Year Round:

1.1. Implement an anti idling policy for all public sector vehicles*.

1.2. At schools and day care centres ensure that drop off/pick up zones are anti idling areas.

1.3. Conduct routine inspections of all vehicles belonging to the public sector organizations to ensure that they are well tuned, operating efficiently and meet the provincial "Drive Clean" standards*.

2. May 1^st to September 15^th :

2.1. Increase temperature settings in offices with air conditioning #

2.2. Refuel equipment before 9:00 a.m. and after 3:00 p.m.

2.3. Minimize use of non essential lighting and electrical equipment

2.4. Allow for employees to adopt a flexible dress code – this will ensure the increased temperature settings requirement in (2.1) are more acceptable. *

2.5. Delay or postpone the discretionary use of work related vehicle trips.

2.6. Investigate the potential for alternate work arrangements*.

3. During "Smog Alert Days"^* Minimize where possible:

3.1. The use of gas powered equipment, such as lawnmowers between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

3.2. The spraying of pesticides during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

3.3. Street sweeping operations between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

3.4. The use of oil-based paints and other compounds which emit volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.)

3.5. Road and roof resurfacing activities during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

3.6. The use of vehicles between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

It is recognized that there are additional smog reduction strategies which can be implemented, by the public sector. However, as indicated, these require additional pre-planning activities, which often involve longer term policy considerations. Strategies in this category include:

a) The development of green fleet policies, which encourage the use of alternative fuel-powered fleet vehicles, which use such fuel as electricity, methanol, ethanol, natural gas and propane.

b) Promote employee car or van pooling and the use, by employees, of public transit. This could be done by providing preferential parking spaces, free or subsidized transit passes etc. *

c) Promote walking and cycling initiatives to reduce car usage. This could be done through the provision of bike racks, changing facilities and shower areas. *

d) Encourage community and the private sector to develop and promote clean air initiatives and the sharing of information and technologies that support the Smog Response Plan.

e) Develop long term transportation initiatives that reduce reliance on the automobiles.

f) Develop targets for energy conservation in all public sector facilities.

g) Work in partnership with other levels of government to develop actions that will reduce air pollution, nationally and internationally.

h) Develop policies that increase naturalized areas for all public lands in order to reduce lawn cutting and pesticide use.

i) Implement a synchronized traffic signal system, which avoids regular stopping/starting of road vehicles. *

j) Develop municipal anti idling strategies for all vehicles. *(being developed)

The Stage I strategies have been divided into three categories, which is different from most smog response plans which tend to focus activities on those days when the Air Quality Index is forecasted to exceed 50, i.e. on "smog alert days". The Committee felt that while it’s true that the worse conditions occur on those days, problems associated with air pollution are not limited to a few days in each year and that a more sustained approach should be adopted. Also, from a practical, logistical perspective, it is much easier to institute smog reduction measures on a regular routine basis than having to react to "smog alerts" when the advance notice may be less than 24 hours.

Other components of the Plan include partner notification procedures, staff training, community awareness raising and evaluation. The latter is particularly important for the ongoing success of the Plan. During 2000, the Committee will monitor its implementation and, at the end of the year, conduct an evaluation of its effectiveness, including the cost of implementation. At that time, any necessary changes and refinements will be considered.

A Public Sector Smog Response Plan is only one means of dealing with this major public health issue. To be truly effective in establishing a response mechanism, one needs to involve all sectors of the community in a collaborative effort to address poor air quality on a variety of fronts. The public sector smog response committee will be considering this issue in its upcoming meetings and looking at different models which have been used in other jurisdictions to involve the various stakeholders. Once this review has been completed, the Committee will be developing a terms of reference and recommendations for future action.

As a means of combating the issue of poor air quality associated with smog, twelve public sector organizations have joined forces to develop and implement a Halton Public Sector Smog Response Plan. It is hoped that taking this action will influence the private sector and the community at large to adopt similar measurers to combat this public health hazard.

Staff support the adoption of the Plan and in our opinion should be identifying specific actions the City can take to implement the Plan. To do this it is recommended that a Working Group be established to identify specific actions and implication of implementing the plan for Summer 2000. This review may identify areas that may be modified.

Respectfully submitted

Narelle Martin
Environmental Co-ordinator