Are you witnessing industrial emissions (smoke, dust, smell, noise) here in Sault Ste. Marie? Both Stack Watch SSM and the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks are encouraging citizens to report pollution as it happens (go to www.ontario.ca/reportpollution; more options at stackwatchssm.com/reporting).
In a news release issued in May, provincial environment minister Jeff Yurek said, “Our government takes environmental violations very seriously and has zero tolerance for illegal polluters. With your help, we can hold polluters accountable and ensure compliance with the environmental laws we have in place to protect our air, land and water for generations to come.”
Stackwatch SSM is also asking citizens to demand a more robust air quality monitoring system. The only Ontario Government monitoring station in Sault Ste. Marie is at Sault College, in one of the neighbourhoods least affected by local industrial emissions. The readings there do not reflect the level of pollution that people living around and downwind of Algoma Steel experience. While Algoma Steel has some stations near the plant, relying on industry to monitor itself is not optimal.
Enforcement is another gap. In recent years, enforcement (charges, fines) has been rare. Without consequences for polluting, companies have little incentive to change.
It’s common for people to have a negative response to environmental protection because they think it costs jobs and the economy. The reality is, we pay a heavy price for unchecked pollution, especially on our health.
For example, one of the pollutants released by the coke ovens at Algoma Steel is benzene, a known carcinogen. A 2019 article in the journal Cancer showed that the west end of Sault Ste. Marie (P6C postal code) has a much higher rate of acute myeloid leukemia than the rest of Canada. And annual Ministry of Health statistics show that Sault Ste. Marie has a significantly higher cancer rate than the provincial average.
If we improving monitoring, reporting, and enforcement of pollution regulation violations, the result could be reduced cancer rates.
To learn more about Stackwatch SSM and about emissions, reporting, and regulations, visit http://www.stackwatchssm.com/.
