André Bélisle’s Word of Welcome

Do you own an old vehicle manufactured in 1995 or earlier? Are you hoping to have it recycled in an eco-friendly fashion in exchange for $300 in cash, public transit tickets or passes, or other great rewards? Well, you’ve come to the right place: welcome to the Clear The Air! web site!

Clear The Air! the program for recycling older highly-polluting vehicles, is Quebec’s contribution to the Canadian &ldquot;Retire Your Ride&rdquot; program, financed by the Government of Canada* and administered in Quebec by the Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA). Its purpose is to reduce pollution generated by older vehicles and promote the use of sustainable means of transportation.

Sure, it’s sometimes hard to get rid of an older vehicle that has been loyal and dependable for many years... However, here is some food for thought: you may or may not be aware of it, but your older vehicle dating back to 1995 or earlier produces 19 times smog-forming pollutants than 2004 and newer models. According to the Direction de la Santé publique de Montréal, approximately 1,500 people die prematurely every year due to poor air quality in the Greater Montreal region alone. Furthermore, mechanically speaking, poorly-maintained older vehicles constitute a threat to drivers’ and passengers’ safety. For these and other reasons, it has become necessary to retire as many older vehicles as possible from the road in Quebec while offering these vehicles’ owners tangible benefits.

If you think your older vehicle will end up forever in an open-air graveyard, think again! With Clear The Air!, all parts containing toxic products will be properly disposed.

When the time comes to make THE decision regarding your old vehicle, take the following simple step: participate in the Clear The Air!, contribute personally to cutting back on air pollution, and choose among many rewards like $300 cash compensation or up to six months’ public transit tickets or passes.

In the meantime, I hereby invite you to browse the Clear The Air! web site to learn more about Quebec’s vehicle recycling program and how you can reap the benefits.

Enjoy your visit!

André Bélisle
President, AQLPA

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¹ The Government of Canada has committed $92 million over four years to the Retire Your Ride program to help Canadians recycle their older, higher polluting vehicles and make sustainable transportation choices, leading to reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.