The Air We Breathe

It’s free, it’s all around us, and we can’t live without it for more than a few minutes. But we often take the air we breathe for granted, especially here in Canada.

Air pollution is a significant environmental health problem. In Canada alone, it is responsible for causing thousands of deaths, millions of cases of illness, billions of dollars in health care expenses, and tens of billions of dollars in lost productivity every year.

The David Suzuki Foundation is working to turn this around, and to ensure that Canadians enjoy the best possible air quality.

In the report, The Air We Breathe, the David Suzuki Foundation found that Canada provides weaker protection for human health from air pollution than the U.S., Australia, or the European Union. Significantly, Canada is the only nation to rely on voluntary national guidelines, which provide a far weaker approach to controlling air pollution than the enforceable standards in place elsewhere.

The report also includes five key recommendations for improving the health and well-being of Canadians and reducing the negative health impacts of air pollution.
Download the full report or executive summary.

This three-page briefing note outlines the flaws in and makes recommendation to the government's proposed "Clean Air Act": Bill C-30. Canada lags behind other industrialized countries in controlling air pollution. However, Bill C-30 does not introduce the substantive changes necessary to protect human health and the environment. Opposition parties made several improvements to Bill C-30 in the committee process, but it is now unlikely the bill will be tabled.

Download the briefing note:
English PDF (353 KB)
French PDF  (522 KB)

Radon: The Unfamiliar Killer This short report outlines a series of Canadian guidelines that can reduce the negative the health risks associated with radon, one of the most toxic sources of indoor air pollution in Canada.

Download report (PDF 5.5 MB)