OLDER VEHICLES MAY BE MORE POLLUTING THAN ORIGINALLY THOUGHT

Clear the air!/ Retire Your Ride encourages Canadians to act now and permanently retire their older vehicles

QUEBEC CITY, Oct. 12 /CNW Telbec/ - Although previous research indicated that 1995 model year and older vehicles emit 19 times more smog-forming emissions than 2004 and newer vehicles, a recent study of a sample of these older cars retired through the Clear the air!/ Retire Your Ride program shows that the tested vehicles were actually on average 45 times more polluting than 2004 and newer vehicles - all the more reason for Canadians to retire their older vehicles in an effort to protect the environment.

"This truly is a staggering fact," said Carla Kearns, national program director at Summerhill Impact, national delivery agent for Retire Your Ride. "Our hope is that Quebecers will hear this shocking statistic and really take a closer look at the vehicle they are driving and the impact it is having on our environment and health. If Quebecers are driving cars of model year 1995 and earlier, it's time to take advantage of the Clear the air! / Retire Your Ride program and get rewarded for making the right choice before the program ends."

The study, conducted by BC AirCare, the organization that performs smog emissions testing for the province of British Columbia, compared 133 older vehicles with newer models and found that these older vehicles produce 31 times more hydrocarbon and 58 times more nitrogen than their newer counterparts.

For Quebecers who are looking to retire their 1995 and older model year vehicles, Clear the air!/ Retire Your Ride provides an easy way to responsibly recycle their cars and be rewarded for it. They have to act quickly, however, as the end of the month will mark the six-month countdown to the end of the program and availability of incentives.

"Clear the air!/ Retire Your Ride will come to an end on March 31, 2011, leaving only six months for Quebecers to get rewarded for permanently retiring their 1995 model year and older vehicles," said André Bélisle, director of the Clear the air! program and Chair of the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA), Retire Your Ride delivery agent in Quebec. "On top of rewards, Quebec residents can benefit from 15 months of free transit transportation, worth up to $3000. Moreover, they can be assured that their vehicle will be recycled in the most environmentally responsible manner, thanks to the Clean the air!/ Retire Your Ride National Code of Practice (2003) that all participating recyclers must follow."

Clear the air!/ Retire Your Ride aims to reduce smog-forming emissions, encourage the use of sustainable transportation and ensure vehicles are responsibly recycled. Since its launch in January 2009, Retire Your Ride has taken more than 95,000 vehicles off the road in Canada, reducing smog-forming emissions by over 5,000 tons. In Quebec alone, more than 27,000 cars have been responsibly retired as of May 2009. In fact, it is in Quebec that we find the greater number of participants who have chosen to retire their ride in exchange for transit passes.

People who own a 1995 model year or older vehicle and choose to take part in Clean the air/Retire Your Ride before the program ends on March 31, 2011 can be rewarded with one of a number of rewards available to program participants, including:

    
    - Bicycles - A discount of up to $790 off of a high-end commuter bicycle
      as well as up to 15 per cent off parts and services
    - Transit Passes - Free 15 monthly transit passes in some municipalities
      or a $1200.00 discount off the purchase of monthly passes or Ticket
      booklets for Montreal-Sherbrooke service.
    - Electric Bicycles - $790.00 discount off the purchase of a "scooter"
      style electric bike
    - Electric scooter EVT - over and above the 300$ cash reward, receive a
      discount of $700.00 on the purchase of an electric scooter EVT
    - Car share- a free subscription for three years to Communauto worth $611
    - Manufacturer supported rebates - Offered by Chrysler, Hyundai and GM
    - Cash - $300 cash
    

About Clear the Air! (www.cleartheairprogram.org/www.aqlpa.com)

Clear the Air! is a program for recycling older, highly polluting vehicles, launched in Quebec by the AQLPA in 2003. Its goals are to help improve air quality, fight climate change and encourage Quebecers to use more sustainable modes of transportation. Since the spring of 2009, Clear the Air! has been a partner in the federal government's Retire Your Ride program. And since December 2009, Clear the Air! has received financial support from the Quebec government.

About Retire Your Ride - retireyourride.ca

Retire Your Ride is a national program designed to effectively and efficiently retire 1995 model year or older vehicles in an environmentally responsible manner, in an effort to improve air quality and encourage the use of sustainable transportation. The Retire Your Ride program is delivered nationally by Summerhill Impact, funded by the Government of Canada and supported by a network of experienced regional delivery agents across the country, as well as a national network of automotive recyclers.

For further information: Olivier Fillion-Boutin, Optimum Relations Publiques, [email protected], 514 985-8309