March 2, 2026, TORONTO – The Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), together with two Ontario residents from communities heavily impacted by industrial air pollution, filed a request today under the Environmental Bill of Rights urging the provincial government to review and strengthen its policy on cumulative air pollution to ensure communities across the province are equally protected.
“Where you live in Ontario should not determine how much pollution you breathe,” said Ramani Nadarajah, Counsel at CELA. “Some communities are exposed to much higher levels of pollution than others and are paying the price with their health. This request asks the government to review a policy that hasn’t worked and develop an approach that protects Ontarians equally.”
The Application for Review documents how Ontario’s cumulative effects policy has failed to improve air quality due to its narrow scope and the province’s failure to apply it in the approvals process. The policy applies to only two pollutants, two communities – the Hamilton and Sarnia areas – and only to proposals for new facilities and therefore does not address existing pollution levels.
The Application also details how the broad exemptions provided to polluters in Ontario mean some communities are unfairly exposed to higher levels of pollution, particularly low-income and Indigenous communities located near multi-facility industrial areas.
“The current regime is a patchwork of exemptions that prioritizes flexibility for polluters over consistent protection for people,” said Ian Borsuk, Executive Director of Environment Hamilton and a co-applicant. “A review of Ontario’s cumulative effects policy is an opportunity to ensure our regulatory system takes into account the total pollution people are breathing.”
Although the Ontario government committed to reviewing the Cumulative Effects Assessment in Air Pollution policy within two years of its release in 2018, no such review has occurred in the eight years since.
“The government should see this as an opportunity to fulfill its commitment and begin to fix Ontario’s broken air pollution system,” said CELA’s Ramani Nadarajah.
Under the Environmental Bill of Rights, the government must respond to this request for a policy review within sixty days.
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For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Ramani Nadarajah, Counsel, Canadian Environmental Law Association, 647- 234-4424 or ramani@cela.ca
Ian Borsuk, Executive Director, Environment Hamilton, 905-515-7956 or iborsuk@environmenthamilton.org
The full Application for Review and the summary report are available on our website.
Media Release: Ontario Must Fix Broken Air Pollution System to Protect Public Health
March 2, 2026, TORONTO – The Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA), together with two Ontario residents from communities heavily impacted by industrial air pollution, filed a request today under the Environmental Bill of Rights urging the provincial government to review and strengthen its policy on cumulative air pollution to ensure communities across the province are equally protected.
“Where you live in Ontario should not determine how much pollution you breathe,” said Ramani Nadarajah, Counsel at CELA. “Some communities are exposed to much higher levels of pollution than others and are paying the price with their health. This request asks the government to review a policy that hasn’t worked and develop an approach that protects Ontarians equally.”
The Application for Review documents how Ontario’s cumulative effects policy has failed to improve air quality due to its narrow scope and the province’s failure to apply it in the approvals process. The policy applies to only two pollutants, two communities – the Hamilton and Sarnia areas – and only to proposals for new facilities and therefore does not address existing pollution levels.
The Application also details how the broad exemptions provided to polluters in Ontario mean some communities are unfairly exposed to higher levels of pollution, particularly low-income and Indigenous communities located near multi-facility industrial areas.
“The current regime is a patchwork of exemptions that prioritizes flexibility for polluters over consistent protection for people,” said Ian Borsuk, Executive Director of Environment Hamilton and a co-applicant. “A review of Ontario’s cumulative effects policy is an opportunity to ensure our regulatory system takes into account the total pollution people are breathing.”
Although the Ontario government committed to reviewing the Cumulative Effects Assessment in Air Pollution policy within two years of its release in 2018, no such review has occurred in the eight years since.
“The government should see this as an opportunity to fulfill its commitment and begin to fix Ontario’s broken air pollution system,” said CELA’s Ramani Nadarajah.
Under the Environmental Bill of Rights, the government must respond to this request for a policy review within sixty days.
-30-
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Ramani Nadarajah, Counsel, Canadian Environmental Law Association, 647- 234-4424 or ramani@cela.ca
Ian Borsuk, Executive Director, Environment Hamilton, 905-515-7956 or iborsuk@environmenthamilton.org
The full Application for Review and the summary report are available on our website.
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