2019 Air Quality Management Plan
Introduction
The Calgary Region Airshed Zone (CRAZ) Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) is an action plan for managing air quality in the CRAZ region. The Plan was originally developed in 2008 in collaboration with area stakeholders including Alberta Environment, industry, municipalities, non-governmental organizations, First Nations and Alberta residents.
The vision for the 2019 AQMP remains the same as the 2008 Plan with minor changes made to reflect the change in scope to include air contaminants of concern other than PM2.5 and O3. The vision of the AQMP is as follows:
“The [Air Quality] Management Plan for the [CRAZ region] will provide the necessary tools, resources and regional technical framework for inter-municipal cooperation for measuring, assessing and sharing emission information on [air contaminants of concern] and will promote efforts to decrease measured ambient levels of [air contaminants of concern] using continuous improvement principles.”
2018 Particulate Matter and Ozone Achievement Report
2014 Particulate Matter and Ozone Management Plan Update
2009 Particulate Matter and Ozone Management Plan
In 2009, the development of the Particulate Matter and Ozone Management Plan (PM and O3 Management Plan) was an action related to the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) Particulate Matter and Ozone Management Framework. This framework was based on the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) Canada Wide Standards (CWS) for particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3). PM and O3 were selected by the CCME as the first contaminants to be managed because both pollutants have significant adverse effects on human health and the environment. To ensure consistent and comparable reporting, the CCME selected Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), as defined by Statistics Canada, as the jurisdictional boundaries for reporting purposes. This Plan is specifically for the Calgary Census Metropolitan Area (CMA).
The CASA framework set several triggers lower than the CWS in order to provide opportunity for action prior to exceeding the CWS. In 2004 Alberta Environment notified area stakeholders that the “planning trigger” for ozone (58 ppb) was exceeded in the Calgary CMA. These exceedances were determined based on evaluation of a three year consecutive average of measured PM and O3 in the Calgary CMA for 2001 – 2003. When the planning threshold was exceeded the CASA framework called for development of a management plan to ensure that the CWS for PM and O3 will not be exceeded in the future. The CASA framework calls for these plans to be developed by the end of 2008.
The area stakeholders include Alberta Environment, industries, municipalities, all levels of government, non-governmental organizations, First Nations and Alberta residents. The area stakeholders decided that the Calgary Region Airshed Zone (CRAZ) will be the coordinating body to develop, maintain and be responsible for an adaptive PM and O3 Management Plan which contains performance indicators and is inclusive of all stakeholder interests in the area. CRAZ developed the following vision:
“The PM and O3 Management Plan for the Calgary CMA will provide the necessary tools, resources and regional technical framework for inter-municipal cooperation for measuring, assessing and sharing PM and O3 precursor emission information and will promote efforts to decrease measured ambient levels of PM and O3 using continuous improvement principles.”
