Editor: Re: “AirCare Needs to be Shuttered,” (The Times, June 19).
The COPE 378 members who work at AirCare are concerned about their jobs and the jobs of their non-COPE colleagues. But they are also concerned about the move to exempt passenger vehicles from AirCare, because they are proud of the work they do as part of this successful environmental initiative.
A provincial review of the program concluded that AirCare will continue to achieve emission reductions and have a positive impact on local air quality to at least 2020.
Currently, the cost of AirCare to the majority of motorists in this region is $2 per month. This small cost is far outweighed by the environmental and health benefits enjoyed by all residents living in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Without AirCare’s checks and balances in place, we fear all the benefits achieved will be undone by the province’s decision to cancel the program.
The potential elimination of these important green jobs is not COPE 378’s sole reason for standing against an end to the program.
We are also invested as community members of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley who want to ensure that we don’t turn back the clock on clean air for ourselves and future generations.
Heather Lee,
vice-president,
COPE 378