As Canada marks Clean Air Day on Wednesday, June 4, Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership (HAMP) encourages Airshed residents to celebrate as well by taking at least one action to support clean air: walking, riding a bicycle, driving less and smarter, reducing vehicle idling or even simply shutting off lights when not needed.
“Clean Air Day is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to reflect on what we can do to preserve and improve the clean air we benefit from, not just as Canadians but as residents who live and work here in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland region,” says Nadine Blaney, HAMP’s Executive Director. “Our clean air is a credit to us all – the public policies, industry practices and the individual lifestyles we adopt to help manage the impact of our activities on air quality.”
Overall, air quality has remained stable or improved across the Heartland, with HAMP’s long-term trending report confirming that the region’s poorest air quality days are typically linked to major natural events such as wildfires or wintertime temperature inversions. 
Additionally, wildfire smoke had a less severe effect on regional air quality in 2024 than in 2023. In the spring, summer and fall of last year, the Airshed experienced 1,201 hours of high and very high Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) ratings – a 44% decrease compared to the year prior. For an average of 91.4% of the time across HAMP monitoring stations, regional air quality was low risk in 2024.
Air quality can still be affected by both natural and human sources. To prevent substances from these sources accumulating significantly, together everyone can make a difference by:
- Driving less and smarter.
- Reducing vehicle idling.
- Saving energy by turning down thermostats and air conditioners.
- Shutting off lights when not needed.
- Avoiding generating excessive smoke or dust.
HAMP’s ten continuous air monitoring stations measure airborne substances minute by minute, 24 hours a day, all year long. The provincial government uses the data from seven of these stations to calculate the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), providing people with a way to gauge the quality of outdoor air and adjust their activities accordingly.
Residents who live near Bruderheim, Elk Island, Fort Saskatchewan, Gibbons, Lamont or Redwater can check their AQHI hourly right on HAMP’s homepage. HAMP also encourages residents to stay as informed as possible on local air quality. Follow HAMP on Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter), or sign up for a monthly e-newsletter to stay on top of local air quality news and initiatives.