CEC receives submission on atmospheric pollution in suburban Montreal

In submission SEM-08-002 (Air Pollution in suburban Montreal), the Submitters assert that the CMM (of which Montreal, Laval, and Longueuil are members) is subject to two different bylaws on atmospheric emissions, “which results in different protection for the citizens of suburban parts of the CMM compared to that received by those on the island itself.” The Submitter asserts that on the island of Montreal, but not elsewhere in the CMM, gasoline vapour emissions produced during resupply of service stations have been subject to containment since 1990. He adds that the rules applied in the suburbs are those of the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, and Parks (Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs). According to the Submitter, the CMM is delaying carrying out a task with which it has been entrusted by law since its inception in 2001.

The CEC Secretariat is currently reviewing the revised submission to determine whether it meets the criteria of Article 14 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC).

The citizen submissions mechanism of the CEC enables the public to play a whistleblower role on matters of environmental law enforcement. Under NAAEC Article 14, any person or nongovernmental organization may file a submission with the Secretariat alleging that a NAFTA party is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law. After reviewing the submission, the Secretariat of the CEC may decide to investigate the matter and present its observations in a factual report.

For more information, please visit the CEC’s Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters page.