Ontario residents 'misled' on air quality

People in Ontario are not being given the whole picture when it comes to air pollution, it has been claimed.

According to the Canadian province's environment watchdog, federal and provincial authorities are lulling residents into a false sense of security on the issue, reports the Star.

While cities such as London and Paris have street-level and regional warning systems, Ontario does not.

Environmental commissioner Gord Miller criticised the current system which could result in misleading readings on the area's Air Quality Index (AQI).

"I have data to show that the AQI will say that the air quality is clean in Toronto today, and down there on Bay Street, it's very poor," he commented.

Ontario is home to one-third of Canada's population and has more than 250,000 lakes, according to the government's official website.