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William Roy (0887920) The topic “Environmental issues in Toronto” should have it’s own Wikipedia page in order to further spread information and knowledge on it. This topic is important as Toronto has various environmental issues that should be discussed and explored. As Canada’s most populous city, Toronto’s environmental status has an effect on the millions of people who live within and nearby the city. This page would explore the environmental issues that are impacting Toronto’s natural environment and its inhabitants. From water pollution to air pollution and environmental degradation, there are a variety of environmental issues that the city of Toronto has, and currently is, dealing with. This is thus an important topic to discuss as these various issues can create serious consequences for millions of people, and the creation of this article would contribute to an increased display of information and knowledge on the topic, and would help to educate readers. The information that would need to be covered for this topic includes a variety of urban environmental problems and their causes. The release of toxic chemicals into the air, land, and water puts some Toronto communities at greater risk of serious health conditions. Specific examples and locations of these occurrences would be analyzed in this article by examining reports on air quality published by the city of Toronto and other researchers. Nitrogen Oxide air pollution, which leads to poor respiratory health and low air quality, in addition to Chromium which in certain cases can increase cancer risks, can be analyzed in peak areas located near sewage incinerators and other treatment plants across the city. Other specific examples would also be analyzed including the state of water pollution in the city. Newly constructed wetlands part of Rouge Park in Toronto have been found to accumulate high levels of methyl-mercury within their saturated sediment leading to hazards for nearby organisms. Other issues such as waste created by the city will be analyzed for their environmental connection. In addition to the numerous environmental problems that the city of Toronto faces, this article would also cover programs and initiatives created to remedy these factors. Organizations such as the Toronto Environmental Alliance will be discussed and their contributions noted. There have been numerous programs launched by the city designed specifically to target environmental issues such the Climate Change Action Plan, Sustainable Energy Action Plan, and the Climate Change Adaption Plan, which will be analyzed and explained in order to give readers an understanding of the city’s environmental goals and plans. To remain neutral, a critical discussion section on why these programs are being created as well as any potential drawbacks or difficulties associated with them would also be written. This topic relates heavily to comparative public policy and various course themes, theories, and ideas can be seen within it. Policy-making and agenda-setting can be witnessed in the creation of new programs designed to address environmental issues in Toronto. The multitude of reasons that contribute to why these policies are being created as well as the many factors that go into constructing and implementing policy can be understood from analyzing this topic. For example, the media has been able to influence the public to understand the importance of environmental issues such as pollution and climate change even though many members of the public may not have witnessed these problems for themselves, however they are still able to understand their importance as a result of agenda-setting and the news media. Theories of historical institutionalism and path dependency can also be used to understand causes for pollution and other environmental issues in Toronto. For example, the city of Toronto has become path dependent on burning sewage using incinerators. The Highland Creek Treatment Plant utilizes this out of date technology and it has become cheaper to continually replace the incinerator as a result of previous investment into the incinerators. Their continued repair is seen as preferable to transitioning into more environmentally friendly methods of sewage disposal such as using it to manufacture fertilizer pellets. This path dependency can be analyzed from an environmental perspective as the incinerator contributes heavily to mercury pollution and air pollution.

Wikipedia Page Lead Section William Roy (0887920)

Environmental issues in Toronto refer the harmful effects which impact the city of Toronto and its inhabitants. They are affected by urban infrastructures such as highways and public transportation services in addition to the release of toxic chemicals which can lead to pollution.(1) As a result of the city’s large population, substantial waste is produced annually in addition to these pollutants.

Air pollution can be found throughout the city with noticeable hot spots including the Scarborough Town Centre, Highway 427 intersecting Highway 401, and the downtown area.(1) This leaves inhabitants of these areas at greater risk for the development of respiratory issues and other health conditions.(2) Water pollution from the city impacts the nearby environment as well. Sewage and harmful emissions have lead to the presence of contaminants such as mercury, lead, and flame retardants within the waters of Lake Ontario.(3)

Recent reports indicate that harmful emissions from the city have lessened over the years as a result of local and Ontario based initiatives.(4) In 2014, the city of Toronto celebrated going a year without a smog alert for the first time in 20 years. Improvements to air quality have been linked to the closure of coal-fired power plants and the lessened demand for electricity in the city.(5) Initiatives such as the Toronto Environmental Alliance, and Greening Greater Toronto continue to address environmental issues in the city.

Footnotes: 1) Oved, Marco Chown. (2015, April 21)"Air quality map shows Toronto's most polluted neighbourhoods." The Star 2) Perrotta, K. (1999). “Environmental Health Issues in The City of Toronto” Toronto Public Health. 5-27. 3) Melymuk, L., Robson, M., Csiszar, SA., Helm, PA., Kaltenecker, G., Backus, S., Bradley, L., Gilbert, B., Blanchard, P., Jantunen, L., and Diamond, ML. (2014). “From the city to the lake: loadings of PCBs, PBDes, PAHs, and PCMs from Toronto to Lake Ontario.” Environmental Science and Technology (48)7: 3732-41 4) Chubb, C. (2015, August 17). Breathe easier: Smog-free days the norm as city's air quality improves. CityNews 5) Artuso, A (2016, August 21) “The heat's been on - but the smog has not.” Toronto Sun