Healthy Rural Communities

Why is air quality important?

• The quality of air affects all citizens living in a community.

• Air pollution has become increasingly evident in municipalities across Canada (MOE, 2007).

• Children, seniors and those with existing heart and lung conditions (like asthma) are particularly at risk due to exposure to air pollution.

Recommendations for rural municipalities:

• Develop official plan policies that encourage the reduction of air pollution through changes in the built environment. This could include the requirements of adequate separation distances between major traffic corridors and industrial sources of air pollutants and sensitive land uses such as residential areas, daycare centers and schools. Another measure is to encourage new developments that support walking and cycling or the retrofit of existing developments to include paths and trails that may be used by pedestrians or cyclists.

• Ensure the creation of an anti-idling by-law in your municipality in order to directly reduce air pollution. For example, please see:

• Ensure the development of an open air burning by-law in your municipality in order to further reduce air pollution. Open air burning is an important rural issue that impacts human health.