Lower Mainland residents will no longer need to have their vehicles go through an AirCare inspection before being insured.
The 22-year-old program came to an end on Dec. 31. The province announced in 2012 that AirCare would be phased out after the failure rate fell to about eight per cent.
Older diesel engines in Metro Vancouver, however, will need to be registered or else owners will face steep new fines effective Jan. 1. he regional government is preparing to enforce new operating prohibitions on unregistered old, non-road diesel engines - found T in excavators, forklifts, and generators - that have little or no emission controls. Failure to comply could result in fines up to $200,000.
Implementation and enforcement of the new bylaw starting in the new year is the next step to improve air quality in the region, according to Greg Moore, chair of Metro Vancouver's board of directors.
"Diesel engine exhaust is a known carcinogen that is responsible for two-thirds of the lifetime cancer risk from air pollution in our region," Moore stated in a media release. "It is vital that these operating prohibitions come into effect."
Tier 0 engines, which were usually manufactured before 2000, must be registered by the end of 2014.
