Air Quality

Frequently Asked Questions

• Where can I learn more about wood smoke’s impact on health?

  • Wood Smoke and your Health (Video)
  • A recent Health Canada-funded study that took place in Courtenay/Comox, Prince George and Kamloops found that the risk of heart attacks in people 65 years and older increased by 19 per cent when woodstove pollution was high.
  • According to the BC Lung Association, fine particulate matter from wood smoke can cause chronic and acute respiratory and cardiac diseases, especially among children and the elderly.
  • There is a growing body of research linking exposure to wood smoke to an increased risk of other serious health outcomes, including strokes, cancer, and dementia.
• What can I do to improve local air quality?

  Burn responsibly. Burning wood poorly can pollute an entire neighbourhood. Smoke from a wood stove can seep into a neighbour’s house, even when their doors and windows are closed. Keeping firewood dry, allowing enough time for it to cure before using, and  following good burning practices is essential to reducing smoke from wood burning. 

  The Wood Smoke Reduction Program provides opportunities to save money by offering rebates to replace old wood stoves with a cleaner heating option such as a heat pump or a gas, propane or pellet stove.

  However you choose to heat your home, don’t let your house waste the heat - visit CleanBC Better Homes or talk to an Energy Coach to learn about saving money and saving energy.

  Instead of burning yard clippings and branches from your property, consider delivering them to the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre where they will be blended into SkyRocket compost. If you are in an area where open burning of yard debris is permitted, and burning of this debris is the only option available to you, consider burning only on days when the ventilation index is “good”, and ensure your fire is extinguished and no longer releasing smoke before evening.  

• What about open burning? What is allowed and when?

  Please check with your responding fire department to confirm the current restrictions for your specific local service area.
  To identify your responding fire department and their contact information, please view map.

• What is the “ventilation index” and how does it affect air quality?

  The ventilation index (or venting index) is a measure of the ability of the atmosphere to disperse airborne pollutants, and is based on current weather conditions. Smoke is considered an airborne pollutant. Weather conditions that result in temperature inversions, such as cool and clear fall or winter days, lead to a venting index that is typically considered “poor” – meaning the atmosphere is unable to disperse air pollutants, and they are trapped near the surface, resulting in compromised local air quality. 

  The Province of BC has recently released an interactive map of the ventilation index forecast for areas throughout the province. The map, which includes the current ventilation index forecast for the Comox Valley, is available here.

• What about wildfire smoke?

  Unfortunately, wildfires and smoke are becoming a regular part of summer in British Columbia. We can’t predict when or where wildfires will happen, but we can prepare for smoky summers. Listed below are resources from the BC Centre for Disease Control.

  • Wildfire Smoke and Your Health: How to Prepare for the Wildfire Smoke Season (PDF)
  • Wildfire Smoke and Your Health: Wildfire Smoke and Air Quality (PDF)
  • Wildfire Smoke and Your Health: Portable Air Cleaners for Wildfire Smoke (PDF)
• Who is responsible for air quality management in the Comox Valley?

  Managing air quality is a multi-jurisdictional challenge involving many levels of government as well as citizens. The provincial government’s Ministry of Environment (MoE) is responsible for implementing the air quality management system (AQMS) and also addresses air pollution through legislation, codes of practice, permits and standards. As part of AQMS implementation in the Comox Valley, the CVRD has worked with the MoE to establish an air quality monitoring station in the Comox Valley.

  Many areas in the Comox Valley have bylaws in place that regulate burning activities. Many of these bylaws are intended to reduce the risk of fire and resulting property damage, though they also provide air quality benefits. For instance, depending on where in the Comox Valley you reside, backyard burning may be prohibited, or may require a permit. For further information on burning restrictions in your neighborhood, check with your local fire department:
  Baynes Sound – Denman/Hornby Islands (Electoral Area A)
  Comox Fire Department
  Courtenay Fire Department
  Cumberland Fire Department
  Lazo North (Electoral Area B)
  Puntledge – Black Creek (Electoral Area C)

• What is local government doing to improve air quality?

  Wood Smoke Reduction Program

  The CVRD, with funding from the Ministry of Environment, BC Lung and Island Health, is offering rebates for switching an old wood-burning appliance for a cleaner heating option such as a heat pump or a gas, propane or pellet stove. Further details are available here.

  Airshed Roundtable Project

  Actioned under the Regional Growth Strategy Service, this collaborative multi-stakeholder initiative will develop and implement a Regional Airshed Protection Strategy for the Comox Valley. Further details are available here.

  Air Quality Emissions Inventory

  The CVRD partnered with the Ministry of Environment to conduct a particulate matter emissions inventory for the Comox Valley for the baseline year of 2015. Some commentary on road dust emissions was subsequently issued in 2019 to clarify the degree to which road dust contributes towards fine particulates in the Comox Valley, and that commentary is available here.

  Air Quality Elected Officials Forum

  On April 4, 2017 the CVRD hosted an air quality elected officials forum, where presentations from a variety of experts in the air quality field were brought forward for consideration. Minutes of this forum, including presentations are available here.

• Where can I find more information about air quality?

  BC Air Quality homepage – includes information on air quality advisories, current air quality health index (AQHI), current venting index & links and updates to provincial air quality legislation. 

  The Province of BC – includes information about Pollution Sources, Emissions, Smoke & Burning, and Air Quality.

  The British Columbia Lung Association – the BC State of the Air Report is published annually by the BC Lung Association’s Air Quality and Health Steering Committee. It provides a snapshot of current air quality issues across the province.