Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs
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2016 Annual Regional Air Quality Index Statistics

The Air Quality Index (AQI) was calculated for 24 meteorological regions in 2016, with Île de Montréal subdivided into four sub-regions.

The percentage of “Good” or “Acceptable” AQI days varied from 95% on Île de Montréal (approximately 347 out of 366 days) to 100% in the Estrie, Beauce, Québec, Haute-Gatineau, Bois-Francs, Lanaudière, Montmagny, Laurentides, Témiscamingue, Mont-Laurier, Abitibi, Témiscouata, Rivière-du-Loup and Lac-Saint-Jean regions.

Air quality was most often “poor*” on Île de Montréal, with a 5% or 19/366 days rating. This figure is, however, a clear improvement over the 16% rating measured in 2015, and can be explained by the closing of a Ville de Montréal air quality network monitoring station that recorded poor air quality due to a local source of PM2.5. See Ville de Montréal’s 2016 environmental report for more details.

Overall, the AQI was rated “good” 64% of the time, “acceptable” 35% of the time and “poor” 1% of the time. Compared to 2015, the “good” AQI figure increased by 8%, while the “acceptable” figure dropped by 7%, and the “poor” figure fell by 1%. In 2016, air quality improved in all regions where the AQI was measured.

*This is the case when the concentration of at least one of the contaminants used to calculate the AQI is greater than the hourly reference value at any one of the regional stations.

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