PGAQ #38 by Vic Steblin, Oct 22, 2008

2570 Laurier Crescent, Prince George, BC, 250-564-1123

The Prince George Air Improvement Roundtable (PGAIR) presentation to the City Council meeting of Mon Oct 20, 2008 contained some points that need additional opinions.

The first point is the silliness of pursuing a wood stove exchange program. If one exchanges an old, safer stove for a new, more efficient and also more dangerous one, then that stove will still be burning wood. This is like putting a filter on a cigarette, although there are claims that the new stoves reduce emissions by 90%. If stopping smoking is best for smokers, then stopping wood burning is also best for our city. It would be difficult to stop a wood burner who was just encouraged to put in a new stove.

The second point is the silliness of thinking that just because industry pollutes then the people should also be able to pollute. Double standards should not be used as an excuse. For example, if citizens actually stopped burning wood the industries would receive a powerful message to reduce their pollution.

The last point is the silliness of permits. These almost pointless papers only pretend to care. The citizens are fooled into thinking that someone is actually doing something about pollution. The insignificant fines take a lot of legal time and are like the insignificant fines for drug dealers. The reality is that little gets done until a mill burns down or goes out of business.

The PGAIR should continue to target all areas for improvement, from citizens to companies, and from wood smoke, transportation, and road dust to industry.