Vancouver City Council |
MOTION ON NOTICE
2. AirCare On-Road Program (File 3752)
The following Motion was submitted by Councillor Cadman at the Regular Council meeting on March 15, 2005. Councillor Sullivan called Notice under Section 5.4(c) of the Procedure By-law and the Motion was placed on the agenda of the Regular Council meeting held March 17, 2005 immediately following the Standing Committee on Planning and Environment meeting. On March 17, 2005, Council postponed consideration of the following motion to the Regular Council meeting on March 29, 2005.
WHEREAS:
1. Published reports indicate that many heavy-duty vehicles fail the Air Care On-Road Program (ACOR); and
2. The current version of the ACOR Program has no means of compelling compliance by way of issuing fines or linking compliance to vehicle registration and/or licence removal for heavy-duty vehicles that fail to meet appropriate emission testing; and
3. Heavy duty vehicle emissions are major contributor to urban smog and fine particle pollution in the Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley Area; and
4. The Greater Vancouver Regional District has estimated that between 1985 and 2020, Air Care and other programs will save 2,800 lives, prevent 33,000 emergency hospital visits and will result in a $1.6 Billion benefit to the Provincial economy; and
5. In less than twenty years respiratory disease has increased four-fold across the country; and
6. Asthma is now the number one reason for hospital admissions among Canadian children; and
7. Air pollution is the greatest contributing factor in respiratory disease; and
8. The City of Vancouver has undertaken initiatives to reduce vehicle emissions by embarking upon an anti-idling initiative to reduce unnecessary vehicle idling; and
9. Moving the ACOR program for heavy-duty vehicles from a voluntary to a mandatory compliance phase requires legislative action from the Provincial Government;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT
1. the City of Vancouver urge the Provincial Government to act as quickly as possible to enact appropriate legislation to provide the AirCare On-Road Program (ACOR) with the ability to enforce compliance for heavy duty vehicles that fail to meet appropriate air emission standards with the Greater Vancouver area.
2. a copy of the resolution be forwarded to the Premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell; the Minister of Transportation, Kevin Falcon; the Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection, Bill Barisoff, and the ten members of the Legislative Assembly representing the City of Vancouver; and
3. copies of the Resolutions be forwarded to the TransLink Chair and Board of Directors, Greater Vancouver Regional District Chair and Board of Directors, and Mayor and Councillors of all Municipalities within the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority.
Postponed
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