Three New Brunswick cities offer free transit on ‘Clean Air Day’

A Saint John Transit bus is pictured outside City Hall. (Source: Avery MacRae/CTV News Atlantic)

NB Lung is partnering with Fredericton, Moncton, and Saint John to offer free public transit all day on Wednesday.

The New Brunswick cities are participating in Clean Air Day, an annual event highlighting the role of air quality in community health.

Melanie Langille, president and CEO of NB Lung, says clean air is essential for health.

“Clean Air Day is an opportunity to celebrate generally good air quality in New Brunswick, while raising awareness that this precious natural resource cannot be taken for granted,” she writes in a news release from the charity.

Accessible Transit in Saint John and Para Transit in Fredericton will also be providing free transit all day.

Langille emphasizes the role of public transit, active transportation and carpooling as options for residents to reduce local air pollution.

“Transportation is a major component of air pollution in New Brunswick,” she writes. “By choosing less-polluting options, individuals can influence the air quality in their neighbourhoods.”

Health Canada says air pollution is the cause of over 17,000 premature deaths in the country each year.

Poor air quality is most likely to cause health problems for:

• older adults
• children
• pregnant women
• people with chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and chronic lung disease
• people of lower socio-economic status in living conditions that could expose them to more pollution.

For those living with lung disease, air pollution can cause an increase in their symptoms and may result in hospitalization.

According to NB Lung, one-in-five New Brunswickers live with lung disease. The charity says public education and policy advocacy supporting clean air directly supports those affected.

“We can all play a role in protecting the air we share,” says Langille.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.