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B.C. Air Quality

Air Quality Advisories

Air quality advisories are issued in British Columbia by regional offices of the Ministry of Environment and by Metro Vancouver on behalf of a multi-agency partnership in the Lower Fraser Valley. Advisories are issued in order to:

  • inform the public about degraded air quality;
  • allow people to make informed choices about reducing their exposure to elevated concentrations of air pollutants;
  • affect emission reduction actions (such as a limit on industrial emissions and/or wood stove use); and
  • provide vulnerable individuals and the general public with health advice developed by B.C. health agencies.

An air quality advisory is issued when pollutant concentrations approach or exceed predetermined limits, or when degraded-air-quality episodes are expected to continue of worsen. An advisory may also be issued to implement a local or regional burning ban when the potential for seriously degraded air quality is identified. Air quality advisories are ended when pollutant concentrations fall or are expected to fall to more normal levels.

Air quality advisories are produced by staff at regional Ministry of Environment offices. They are e-mailed or faxed to clients who request them — including the media, and agencies or institutions with responsibilities to people with existing health conditions that could be worsened by exposure to poor air quality.

For information on air quality advisories in your area, and/or to receive the advisories by e-mail, contact BC Air Quality. The Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport, and the Ministry of Environment, are working on a strategy to post all regional advisories on the Internet.

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