2023 Annual Regional Air Quality Index Statistics

Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs

This content is intended for the public covered by the exceptions of the Charter of the French language and its regulations. If you read on, you confirm that you fall within one of these exceptions.

2023 Annual Regional Air Quality Index Statistics

The Air Quality Index (AQI) was calculated for 23 weather regions in 2023, with Île de Montréal divided into four sub-regions.

The percentage of “Good” or “Acceptable” AQI days varied from 90.9% in the Abitibi and Témiscamingue regions (329 out of 362 days) to 98.3% in the Montmagny region.

Air quality was most often “Poor*” in the Abitibi and Témiscamingue regions in a proportion of 9% (33 out of 362 days). This figure represents an increase compared to the 2022 percentage of 4%.

Overall, the AQI was rated “Good” 53.6% of the time, “Acceptable” 41.9% of the time and “Poor” 4.5% of the time. In comparison to 2022, the percentage of “Good” AQI days decreased by 8%, while “Acceptable” days increased by 5% and “Poor” days increased by 4%.

The forest fires in summer 2023 (French) are responsible for this decline in air quality.

*Occurs when the concentration of at least one of the contaminants used to calculate the AQI exceeds its hourly reference value at one or more of the region’s measuring stations.