Our Clean Air Plan

Bulkley Valley–Lakes District Airshed

Clean Air Plan Goals

Click on one of the 5 General Goals of the plan for a drop summary including strategies, indicators and a live data feeds (AQHI) for the region.

To comment or report on your contribution to the General Goals click here for a google form.



1. Improve Understanding of Local Air Quality
Strategies
  • Expand air quality monitoring coverage.
  • Improve data transparency and reporting.
  • Support community science and local research.
Indicators
  • Number of active monitoring stations in the airshed.
  • Annual reporting frequency and data completeness.
  • Public use of online AQ tools (AQHI, PM2.5 viewers, etc.).
Live Air Quality (Smithers AQHI)


Burns Lake
Houston

2. Meet Ambient Air Quality Targets (PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, NO₂, O₃)
Strategies
  • Reduce emissions generally or from a specific sector.
  • Support bylaws and restrictions.
  • Promote clean fuel and efficiency upgrades.
Indicators
  • Annual average PM₂.₅ compared to BC objectives.
  • Number & severity of air quality advisories.
  • Compliance with local open burning regulations.



3. Improve Public Awareness and Engagement
Strategies
  • Promote AQHI education.
  • Support public workshops and school programming.
  • Share data via website, social media, and newsletters.
Indicators
  • Website visits and subscriber numbers.
  • Attendance at air-quality events.
  • Community participation in surveys and consultations.



4. Reduce Emissions Across All Sectors
Strategies
  • Modernize woodstoves through exchange programs.
  • Regulate open burning and agricultural burning.
  • Promote cleaner industry practices.
Indicators
  • Woodstove exchange participation rates.
  • Industrial emission reports.
  • Open burning permit data.



5. Strengthen the Link Between Air Quality and Human Health
Strategies
  • Increase public access to health-related AQ guidance.
  • Partner with Northern Health and First Nations Health Authority.
  • Integrate wildfire smoke response planning.
Indicators
  • Health messaging frequency during smoke events.
  • Use of clean air shelters and resources.
  • Monitoring of respiratory-related health impacts.

The Bulkley Valley Lakes District (BVLD) airshed management plan is a community action plan for clean air. Airshed management planning is a holistic, collaborative community process to address the cumulative impact of human activities on air quality. Airshed planning is ongoing. There is always a need for airshed monitoring and evaluation and research. Air pollution sources can change according to changes in human activities. New technologies and new ideas can offer opportunities for air quality improvements. And it takes time to realize air quality improvement and to recognize air quality trends and needs.

As such, this BVLD Airshed Management Plan 2012 is a living document. It builds on previous work (see acknowledgements), it provides a comprehensive documentation of current airshed planning strategies, and it offers a strong foundation on which to continuously build for the future.

The BVLD airshed management plan was first developed in 2004 by the BVLD Airshed Management Society (AMS), a non-profit society with charitable status governed by an elected board of directors. The society is responsible for overseeing all plan updates and its implementation. The Ministry of Environment (MOE) works closely with the AMS and is responsible for air quality monitoring and assessment, a critical role for supporting airshed management planning.

This living document is for all BVLD citizens who are concerned about the quality of the air we breathe and its stewardship, to stakeholder groups involved in economic and governance activities that can affect clean air, and to educators and researchers in air quality and human health. We welcome your feedback and your participation in BVLD AMS activities.