In June 2012, Toronto's ChemTRAC program released the first of many phases of data on toxic substances used and released by businesses and institutions in Toronto.
Read more about the data and the ChemTRAC program here.
In December 2008, Toronto City Council passed a Community Right to Know bylaw - officially called the Environmental Reporting and Disclosure by-law! Click here to read more about the by-law vote!
You have a right to know what toxic chemicals are in your community. But our governments allow too many polluters to hide their activities from the public:
- Over 40,000 facilities in Toronto don't have to report annual pollution releases to the public.
- Industrial use, production and, storage of chemicals goes on every day in our neighborhoods but no one has to tell us.
These toxic secrets hurt our communities:
- Toronto's air is deadly - 1700 Toronto residents die prematurely from smog each year.
- When you breathe Toronto's air, you risk inhaling at least 9 high-risk carcinogens.
- Industrial spills and fires endanger our neighborhoods every year.
- No one is tracking or monitoring the long-term health effects of all of this pollution. No one can tell us if we are safe.
A solution is in sight:
The City of Toronto gave the public the right to know what toxic chemicals are used, stored, and released in our city in 2008. A Community Right to Know Bylaw in Toronto will make our neighbourhoods safer:
- Armed with information you and your politicians can make real choices about how to reduce your community's risk from toxic chemicals.
- When industries come under public scrutiny they work harder to clean up their act. They find ways to stop using toxic chemicals reduce releases and prevent accidents.
For archived information on TEA's Community Right to Know campaign, see ourSecrecy is Toxic webpage.
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