Ontarios coal plant phase-out produced many health and environmental benefits

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) issued a statement responding to a Fraser Institute report, arguing that the phase-out of coal-fired power plants in Ontario provided significant health and environmental benefits. CAPE asserts that coal plants were major contributors to sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury, and greenhouse gas emissions, and that their closure contributed to measurable declines in air pollution and related health burdens.

• In 2002, Ontario's five coal-fired power plants were responsible for 23% of sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions, 14% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, 23% of airborne mercury emissions, and 20% of the province's greenhouse gas emissions.
• Between 2003 and 2012, SO2 emissions from coal plants decreased by approximately 140,000 tonnes. During this period, annual air levels of SO2 across Ontario fell by nearly 50% and annual air levels of PM2.5 decreased by about 25%.
• A 2005 estimate by Ontario found that air pollution from coal plants caused over 600 premature deaths, 1,000 emergency room visits, and 900 hospital admissions annually, with these health impacts valued at $3 billion per year.
• A 2014 Toronto Public Health assessment indicated that air quality improvements from 2000 to 2011 reduced hospital admissions in Toronto from 6,000 to 3,550 per year (a 41% reduction) and premature deaths from 1,700 to 1,300 per year (a 23% reduction).
• Coal plants contribute to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) because the SO2 and NOx they emit can transform into sulphates and nitrates in the atmosphere, creating secondary PM2.5 which is often more hazardous to human health than other forms.

APA

Admin, C. (2017). Ontarios coal plant phase-out produced many health and environmental benefits. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/ontarios-coal-plant-phase-out-produced-many-health-and-environmental-benefits/

Chicago

Admin, CAPE. Ontarios coal plant phase-out produced many health and environmental benefits. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2017. https://cape.ca/ontarios-coal-plant-phase-out-produced-many-health-and-environmental-benefits/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Admin |first1=CAPE |title=Ontarios coal plant phase-out produced many health and environmental benefits |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=18 January 2017 |url=https://cape.ca/ontarios-coal-plant-phase-out-produced-many-health-and-environmental-benefits/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2017ontarios, author = {Admin, CAPE}, title = {{Ontarios coal plant phase-out produced many health and environmental benefits}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2017}, month = jan, url = {https://cape.ca/ontarios-coal-plant-phase-out-produced-many-health-and-environmental-benefits/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }