On June 22, the City of Hamilton Board of Health passed a motion requesting the province to reject ArcelorMittal Dofasco’s pending application to renew its Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) for air pollution. The Board also requested better air quality monitoring around Dofasco’s fence line and reaffirmed its opposition to special air pollution permissions granted by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP) for industrial facilities.

33 residents wrote to the Board of Health in support of the motion which shows the province that this issue is widely and deeply felt. The province is who we will work on pressuring next.

We would like to thank Councillor Tammy Huang and her office for their work moving the motion and making sure the language was strong and comprehensive, as well as Councillor Cameron Kroetsch for seconding the motion (special shout out to Councillor Craig Cassar for seconding the motion on June 22 as Councillor Kroetsch could not attend due to health issues).

Here are some quotes from the meeting and follow up press release:

“The Board of Health decision today shows that Hamilton residents who are tired of coal being burned in their backyards have the support of the City’s public health representatives. Now, it’s time for the province to ensure ArcelorMittal Dofasco meets provincial air quality standards by phasing out coal and for the federal government to put guarantees in place for workers so that the transition to clean steel benefits everyone. Hamilton residents should not have to choose between clean air and good jobs. We deserve both.” 
-Evan Ubene, Environment Hamilton Clean Steel Campaign Coordinator

“This motion is very specific. Not only is it to flat out refuse the exemptions, but it is asking for a coordinated solution. I’m happy to bring this forward to try and see some change and as you can see from the correspondence a lot of the community also believes in this [motion].”
-Councillor Tammy Hwang (Ward 4)

“It can be really demoralizing when we as a lower level of government are asking a higher level of government to keep people safe and follow basic health standards when it comes to regulating our air quality … I appreciate that we’re joining the voices of hundreds of community members who have been raising [the issue] for decades who are finding new ways of doing that. I hope more and more folks will continue to do the same because we’re all impacted when we can’t breathe clean air.”
-Councillor Alex Wilson (Ward 13)

If you haven’t already, you can sign up to get involved with our clean steel campaign at the LINK HERE and our campaign coordinator will contact you. Updates will be posted to the campaign page at www.environmenthamilton.org/steel.

More commentary:

• Living in a ‘sacrifice zone’: Residents voice fears over air quality near Dofasco (Joanna Frketich, Hamilton Spectator)
• Hamilton Residents Deserve Clean Air, Not More Pollution Exemptions (Michael Adamson, Environmental Defense)