Environment Canada is considering implementing a policy forcing owners of wood-burning bakeries and restaurants that use charcoal grills to report emissions to the government. This includes pizzerias, bagel joints, bakeries and restaurants where meats such as chicken and steak are grilled over wood-fuelled fire. In Montreal alone, there are about 100 establishments that serve food cooked by these means, according to the Montreal Gazette.Public health authorities argue the pollution from burning wood and charcoal puts the health and sometimes even the lives of people living nearby at risk. The federal agency would have such restaurant owners submit an annual air pollution emission report to the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). The NPRI collects data from sectors deemed to be major polluters and submits it to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault. Cecelia Parsons, a spokesperson from Guilbeault’s office, told the Gazette NPRI “has recently undertaken compliance promotion activities targeting some wood-fired ovens such as pizzerias and bagel shops across Canada.” This would be “a first step, as part of a scoping exercise to determine if those facilities meet the NPRI reporting thresholds,” Parsons said, confirming the NPRI would be investigating these establishments further. Businesses that fail to report, are late to report or who don’t report accurate data are subject to fines. There are no established limits at this time on how much pollution a business is allowed to emit.
Environment Canada is considering implementing a policy forcing owners of wood-burning bakeries and restaurants that use charcoal grills to report emissions to the government. This includes pizzerias, bagel joints, bakeries and restaurants where meats such as chicken and steak are grilled over wood-fuelled fire. In Montreal alone, there are about 100 establishments that serve food cooked by these means, according to the Montreal Gazette.Public health authorities argue the pollution from burning wood and charcoal puts the health and sometimes even the lives of people living nearby at risk. The federal agency would have such restaurant owners submit an annual air pollution emission report to the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). The NPRI collects data from sectors deemed to be major polluters and submits it to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault. Cecelia Parsons, a spokesperson from Guilbeault’s office, told the Gazette NPRI “has recently undertaken compliance promotion activities targeting some wood-fired ovens such as pizzerias and bagel shops across Canada.” This would be “a first step, as part of a scoping exercise to determine if those facilities meet the NPRI reporting thresholds,” Parsons said, confirming the NPRI would be investigating these establishments further. Businesses that fail to report, are late to report or who don’t report accurate data are subject to fines. There are no established limits at this time on how much pollution a business is allowed to emit.
