Ontario's Doctors Applaud the Province Going Coal-Free

TORONTO, Jan. 8, 2014 /CNW/ - Ontario's doctors applaud the provincial government's phase-out of their coal fired power plants. In the late 1990s, the Ontario Medical Association and a number of environmental organizations began to present evidence on the health impacts of air pollution and identify some of the key provincial emission sources.

The OMA's Illness Costs of Air Pollution reports certainly helped to clarify the burden of this pollution. The province's fleet of coal-fired power plants were the largest industrial source of our smog and the government agreed to set a date for their phase-out.

The shut-down of Ontario's last coal-fired power plant, the Nanticoke Generating Station, once the largest in North America, is rightful cause for celebration. Congratulations to the government for this achievement and to the many health advocates over the past decade who helped to make this happen.  We would also like to congratulate one of our own, Dr. Ted Boadway, the OMA's former Executive Director of Health Policy, who was tireless in his campaign to make the province's air healthier to breathe.

Scott Wooder, MD

President

Ontario Medical Association

SOURCE: Ontario Medical Association

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