Air quality is improving in Courtenay, report shows

Tazzioli says that this local downward trend is particularly exciting as other communities with similar size and geography, such as Port Alberni and Cowichan, have seen rebounds or increases in their concentrations of fine particulate matter since 2021. Photo provided by City of Courtenay

A report presented to the City of Courtenay indicates air quality has been improving in recent years. 

Courtenay’s Manager of Environmental Engineering, Jeanniene Tazzioli, shared what that presentation was about.

“The Comox Valley has been monitoring air quality since 2011, and at that time there was a provincial air monitoring station that was installed and we found that fine particulate matter is the source of air quality concerns in the region,” she said. “And fine particulate matter originates from smoke. So, it's a combination of open burning, wildfires, and wood burning appliances as the key sources of fine particulate matter in our area”

Tazzioli explained that over the course of the monitoring period, since 2011, they have noticed a number of trends.

“The primary one is that we enjoy good air quality most of the time, except during winter nights and times of wildfire smoke. We've also noticed that there's a very distinct pattern to this,” she pointed out. “So, in the summer for example, we meet the air quality objectives and generally have good air quality. And in the winter, during the afternoons, we also have good air quality. It's really the winter evenings. And that aligns with the time that residents are using wood-burning appliances.”

Tazzioli said that to build on provincial data, the municipalities have installed PurpleAir monitors throughout the region, allowing them to compare data from one neighbourhood to the next, and observe any disparities in concentrations of fine particulate matter. PurpleAir is a brand of real-time air quality monitor that uploads data directly to the web for anyone to observe.

“Older neighbourhoods that have more homes, that have wood stoves, have much worse air quality than neighbourhoods with new homes that did not have wood stoves installed,” she said. “So it really highlights the seasonal nature of this issue and how neighbourhood composition plays a key role.”

Tazzioli said that in 2017 Courtenay had a particularly smoky year, even making the list of B.C.’s top ten communities for worst air quality. This was before the province introduced regulations for both commercial and residential burning practices, and Tazzioli said that there has been consistent improvement every year since. 

She said that this local downward trend is particularly exciting as other communities with similar size and geography, such as Port Alberni and Cowichan, have seen rebounds or increases in their concentrations of fine particulate matter since 2021.

“It indicates that our local initiatives are working,” Tazzioli said. “There has been a considerable focus on this in recent years, the region has taken such measures as installing purple air monitors, the City of Courteney has updated our nuisance bylaws. We've been running a public education campaign, and we've been working with our regional partners, including the province. And so it's really great to see our local efforts paying off, within the data that's collected from the monitoring station.”

Part of this regional endeavour was the 2023 Airshed Protection Strategy, developed by the Comox Valley Regional District in collaboration with its member municipalities.

“It created a vision for our community to have clean and healthy air all year round,” Tazzioli said, “and from that it brought together a number of stakeholders. We started having these conversations, and then as a city we implemented some of the recommendations within our boundary.”

Tazzioli said that next steps involve continuing to educate residents about the health risks, and the supports available to them such as rebates for upgrading home heating appliances.

She said that there are clear successes, with the data showing the air is getting cleaner.

“It's less smoky than it was before. It is continuous improvement. One of the challenges that we face is that air quality is different across the city,” Tazzioli said. “So while in one neighbourhood we may feel like we're making a lot of progress, there could be another person who is still struggling with the smoke being generated by their neighbours and could be in a much different situation. And so I think the challenge is trying to make sense of these trends while acknowledging the nuance of individual experience.”

Tazzioli said that air quality is not something to scoff at, as the health risks are very real and very serious.

Tazzioli said that the wood burning that largely happens at night passes under the radar for many due to low visibility. Graphic provided by City of Courtenay.

“The province, BC air quality objectives, have a threshold of 25 PPM for a 24 hour averaging period. And what we see is in the evenings, we sometimes far exceed that threshold. So it's definitely a concern,” she explained.

Tazzioli said that when looking at averages the concentrations are improving, but in an individual moment it may be much worse, with the smoke from a chimney’s concentration being quite high. Air quality can change rapidly, so the averages are not necessarily what we breathe.

“And so I think the main message would be that the averages are not necessarily what we breathe and what we breathe can definitely be much higher than the threshold set by the BC air quality objectives,” she said.

Tazzioli said that while poor air quality impacts everyone, it has the most impact on children, elderly people, and people with pre-existing health conditions. 

“This has a large impact on our health. It impacts the health of people around the world. When we hear statistics about the number of premature deaths related to air quality, this is what we're referring to. We're referring to fine particulate matter, and it is a concern in our community as well,” she explained. 

“And so, I think what people can do is take steps to limit their exposure. And so what that may look like on an individual level could be different between person to person.”

Tazzioli said some measures that can be taken include installing filtration systems or air purifiers within one’s home, or choosing a different method for heating.

“Whether that be a heat pump or natural gas, all other heating sources emit less fine particulate matter than wood burning, and we often hear people talk about how the certified stoves emit less fine particulate matter than the old smoky stoves, and that's definitely true. However, even the certified stoves emit much more fine particulate matter than other heating options,” she said. “And so I think, depending on your situation, your home, your health concerns, limiting your exposure may look differently, but I think just being aware of the source and starting to notice the smoke swirling under the streetlights at night is the first step to recognizing the issue that often remains hidden because the smoke is invisible at night.”

Tazzioli said that while the concern is present for wildfire smoke on summer days, as it is so visible, the wood burning that largely happens at night passes under the radar for many people when it should be a concern. 

To learn more about air quality in Courtenay, and for more information on wood stove rebates and alternative heating options, visit courtenay.ca/cleanair.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada. Reporting done in the Comox Valley is done in partnership with CVOX.