Media Clipping — January 22, 2004, The Daily News

Report: N.S. a big polluter

By Alison Auld, Canadian Press

Nova Scotia produces sulphur oxide emissions that are two times higher than the Canadian and American averages, adding to a potent mix of chemicals that contribute to acid rain and health problems, says a new report.

The report, which took three years to produce, found that Halifax had Canada's highest annual average of sulphur dioxide, a member of the sulphur oxide family.

Sulphur dioxide is a colourless, pungent gas that is a byproduct of industrial processes and the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal.

The study, compiled by GPI Atlantic, found that the province's heavy use of coal-fired energy generation plants has made it the country's biggest producer of sulphur oxide, which is among a family of pollutants linked to respiratory and heart problems.

"The fact that Nova Scotia is responsible for 25 per cent of all Canada's sulphur oxide emissions is quite dramatic," Ron Colman, one of the report's authors, said yesterday.

Canadians routinely blame U.S. power plants as the major source of pollutants that drift north, but Colman says high energy production in Eastern Canada creates substantial pollution.

The report estimated that sulphur oxide emissions in 2002 caused $212-million worth in damages to Nova Scotia. That includes costs associated with health care and resource depletion.

GPI Atlantic, a non-profit research group based in Halifax, also concluded that lakes in Nova Scotia are slower to recover from acid rain than those in Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland.

Meanwhile, the report revealed that Kings County in the Annapolis Valley recorded the highest level of ground ozone in the country in the summer of 2001.

High ozone levels can increase respiratory problems, damage aquatic ecosystems, harm forests and limit biodiversity, all of which are creating substantial costs in damages.

Under a provincial plan, sulphur dioxide emissions must be reduced 25 per cent by 2005 and 50 per cent by 2010.

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