Yesterday's announcement by Stockwell Day of $15.6 million to Canfor Pulp to reduce emissions was good news for citizens of Prince George, however "it remains to be seen how it plays out," said Mary Macdonald, former director of PACHA, People's Action Committee for Healthy Air .

"There have to be accountability measures in place."

The total money available to Canfor Pulp from The Green Transformation fund is about $120 million and activists like Macdonald are waiting to see if Canfor comes through with measures to reduce fine particulate emissions -- which is a primary health concern -- such as an electrostatic precipitator.

Canfor Pulp plans to put $11 million from the fund towards an "odor reduction project" intended to reduce total sulfur emissions by 60 per cent, said Canfor Pulp V.P of Operations Brett Robinson. The remaining $4.6 million will fund a system that generates energy by processing black liquor . These projects are scheduled to be completed within a year.

"You can detect it with your nose," said Prince George eco-poet Ken Belford, about airborne toxins such as sulfur.

"The problem has been difficult to quantify," Belford explains. "It has to do with weather, airflow, time of day."

Josh Massey is completing his practicum at The Tyee and is moving to Prince George in the fall.