Air Quality Subscription Service

Last updated on August 29, 2023

Viewing Air Quality Advisory posted to Smithers on mobile device

Welcome to the Air Quality Subscription Service. Our goal is to improve communication between governments and citizens during air quality events in a timely manner.

We currently offer email and text message notification services (Short Message Service or SMS) for Air Quality Advisories, Smoky Skies Bulletins, and SO2 Alerts for the Kitimat Pilot Project.

Subscribe to Air Quality notifications

How to use the service

 

Subscribe with your email address and mobile phone number

Follow the steps below:

  • Step 1. Visit the subscription page and enter your email address, mobile phone number or both to subscribe
  • Step 2. Select the communities and regions you would like to receive notifications for
  • Step 3. Select the Subscribe button​
  • Step 4. You will receive an email or text message asking you to confirm your subscription. Follow the instructions to complete your subscription
    • An internet or data connection is required to activate the confirmation link
    • Text message notifications will come from long code number 604-210-9276. Please do not call this number as it is not an active phone line

More information about subscribing and re-subscribing

  • If you are a current email subscriber who would like to add their mobile phone number (or the other way around) to your subscription list, you would need to update your subscription by signing up again
  • For SMS text messages, if you have recently unsubscribed and want to re-subscribe again, please contact us for support as we would need to remove your number from our opt-out list
 

Unsubscribe from the service


For email subscriptions, from any email notification that you have received, click on the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the message. Your web browser will then open and display an Unsubscribe Confirmation web page confirming your request.
 
For security purposes, you will also receive a follow-up email to confirm your request. If you change your mind or if you did not request to unsubscribe from the service, you can click on the re-subscribe link to restore your notification subscription.
 
To unsubscribe from SMS text messaging notifications, simply reply to long code number 604-210-9276 from any text message with the phrase STOP. You will also receive a confirmation message of your unsubscription.
 

Change your notification list

Can I unsubscribe from or subscribe to one (or more) notification list(s)?

Currently we do not support the option to add or remove specific Air Quality Advisories or Smoky Skies Bulletins from your notification list. As an existing subscriber, you would need to resubscribe again with your preferred choices.

After you re-submit your subscription, you will receive an email or text message with the subject line "Duplication Subscription Request". Follow the instructions outlined in the email or text message to replace your notification list. Once confirmed, your previous notification list will be replaced with your revised choices.

Can I see which notification lists I have subscribed to?

Unfortunately, we do not support that feature at this time. The best way to track which Air Quality Advisory and Smoky Skies Bulletin you subscribed to is to refer to your original subscription confirmation email or text message.

 

Areas that receive Air Quality Advisories

Air Quality Advisories are issued for the following areas:
 

  1. Burns Lake
  2. Campbell River
  3. Castlegar
  4. Colwood
  5. Courtenay / Comox
  6. Cranbrook
  7. Crofton
  8. Duncan
  9. Elkford
  10. Fort St. John
  11. Gibsons
  12. Golden
  13. Grand Forks
  14. Houston
  15. Hudson's Hope
  16. Kamloops
  17. Kelowna
  18. Kitimat
  19. Langdale
  20. Nanaimo
  21. Penticton
  22. Port Alberni
  23. Powell River
  24. Prince George
  25. Prince Rupert
  26. Quesnel
  27. Smithers
  28. Sparwood
  29. Squamish
  30. Taylor
  31. Terrace
  32. Valemount
  33. Vanderhoof
  34. Vernon
  35. Victoria
  36. Williams Lake
  37. Whistler

Smoky Skies Bulletins are issued for Weather Forecast Regions as defined by Environment Canada (view map).

Click on any of the community names below to view the Weather Forecast Region boundaries for that area.
 

  1. 100 Mile (includes Hwy 97 from 108 Mile House to Clinton, Bridge Lake and Canim Lake)
  2. Arrow Lakes - Slocan Lake (also includes Slocan, New Denver, Nakusp, and Fauquier)
  3. Atlin
  4. B.C. North Peace River (includes the City of Fort St John and all communities along Hwy 97 extending from Farmington to Pink Mountain; Hwy 29 including Moberly Lake, Hudson's Hope; also includes Rolla, Clayhurst and Goodlow)
  5. B.C. South Peace River (includes Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Pouce Coupe, and Tumbler Ridge)
  6. Boundary (includes Grand Forks, Midway and Greenwood)
  7. Bulkley Valley (also includes Telkwa, Fort St James and Granisle)
  8. Campbell River
  9. Cariboo - north including Quesnel (also includes Wells and Bowron Lake Park)
  10. Cariboo - south including Williams Lake (also includes Northern and Central sections of Wells Gray Park)
  11. Cassiar Mountains (includes Cassiar, Good Hope Lake, Boya Lake Provincial Park)
  12. Central Coast - coastal sections (includes Bella Bella, Ocean Falls, and extends south to Jackson Bay)
  13. Central Coast - inland sections (includes Bella Coola, Hagensborg, Firvale, and Stuie)
  14. Central Okanagan (also includes Lake Country, West Kelowna, Kelowna, and Peachland)
  15. Chilcotin (includes Hansville, Alexis Creek, Chilanko Forks, Tatla Lake, Nimpo Lake, Anahim Lake, and the southern half of Tweedsmuir Park)
  16. Comox Valley
  17. Dease Lake (includes Telegraph Creek)
  18. Duncan (includes Crofton)
  19. East Columbia (includes Golden)
  20. East Kootenay - north includes Inveremere (also includes Edgwater, Canal Flats and Skookumchuck)
  21. East Kootenay - south (includes Kimberley, Cranbrook, Yahk, Moyie, Wasa Lake Provincial Park, Jaffray, Grasmere and Roosville)
  22. East Vancouver Island - Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay (also includes Parksville, Coombs, Qualicum Beach, and Hornby Island)
  23. Elk Valley (includes Elko, Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford)
  24. Fort Nelson (includes Muskwa, Prophet River, Buckinghorse River, Sikanni Chief, Hwy 77 north to the Yukon border)
  25. Fraser Canyon - north including Lillooet (also includes Andersen lake)
  26. Fraser Canyon - south including Lytton (also includes Trans Canada Hwy 1 from Lytton to Choate)
  27. Greater Victoria (includes Sidney, Victoria, Saanich, Langford, Metchosin)
  28. Haida Gwaii
  29. Howe Sound (includes Horseshoe Bay, Gambier Island, Squamish)
  30. Inland Vancouver Island (includes Lake Cowichan, Nahmint, Port Alberni, central portions of Strathcona Park and Schoen Lake Provincial Park)
  31. Kinbasket (includes Kinbasket reservoir south of Valemount)
  32. Kootenay Lake (includes Creston and Kaslo)
  33. Lakes District - southeast including Burns Lake (also includes Houston, Fraser Lake)
  34. McGregor (includes the northern end of the Robson Valley extending from Hansard to Dome Creek; extends north to Monkmon Park)
  35. Muncho Lake Park - Stone Mountain Park (also includes Muncho Lake, Toad River and Stone Mountain Provincial Park)
  36. Nanaimo (includes Ladysmith and Cedar)
  37. Nicola (includes Merritt, Strump Lake, Pennask Lake, and Brookmere)
  38. North Coast - coastal sections (includes Prince Rupert)
  39. North Coast - inland including Kitimat (also includes Kemano)
  40. North Coast - inland including Stewart (also includes Bob Quinn Lake)
  41. North Coast - inland including Terrace (also includes New Aiyansh)
  42. North Columbia (includes Blue River and McMurphy)
  43. North Okanagan (also includes Vernon, Armstrong, Enderby, Lavington and Lumby)
  44. North Thompson (includes Barriere, Clearwater and Vavenby)
  45. North Vancouver Island (includes Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Port Alice, Bull Harbour, Alert Bay, Sayward, and Woss)
  46. Prince George (includes Hwy 16 Vanderhoof to Upper Fraser, and Hwy 97 Hixon to the south end of McLeod Lake)
  47. Shuswap (includes Salmon Arm, Sicamous, and Chase)
  48. Similkameen (includes Princeton)
  49. South Okanagan (also includes Summerland, Naramata, Keremeos, Penticton, Oliver and Osoyoos)
  50. South Thompson (includes Kamloops, Rayleigh, Monte Creek, Cache Creek, Spences Bridge and Logan Lake)
  51. Southern Gulf Islands
  52. Sunshine Coast - Gibsons to Earls Cove (includes Sechelt and Langdale)
  53. Sunshine Coast - Saltery Bay to Powell River (also includes Quadra Island)
  54. Stuart - Nechako
  55. Teslin
  56. Watson Lake (includes Liard River, Lower Post and extends north to the Yukon border)
  57. West Columbia (includes Revelstoke)
  58. West Kootenay (includes Nelson, Castlegar, Trail, Rossland)
  59. West Vancouver Island (includes Tofino, Uclulet, Port Renfrew, Sooke)
  60. Whistler (includes Whistler and Pemberton)
  61. Williston (includes McLeod Lake, Mackenzie and Williston Lake)
  62. Yellowhead (includes McBride and Valemount and all communities within the southern half of the Robson Valley extending from Urling to Valemount and the northern half of Mount Robson Park)
  63. Yoho Park - Kootenay Park (includes Yoho and Kootenay National Parks)
 

Service Disclaimer and Terms of Use

 

  • The Air Quality Subscription Service notification service is provided as a public service by the Government of British Columbia.
  • Under no circumstances will the Government of British Columbia be liable to any person or business entity for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, or other damages based on any use of this Web site or any other Web site to which this site is linked, including, without limitation, any lost profits, business interruption, or loss of programs or information, even if the Government of British Columbia has been specifically advised of the possibility of such damages.
  • This notification service and all of the information it contains are provided "as-is" without warranty of any kind, whether express or implied. All implied warranties including, without limitation, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non- infringement, are hereby disclaimed.
  • For mobile phone subscribers:
    • we do not or will ever call subscribers regarding Air Quality events.
    • there is no charge to subscribe or unsubscribe, receive text messages from the service, however standard message and data rates may apply based on your existing wireless plan for sending and receiving text messages.
    • If any charges apply, they are billed by and payable to your wireless service provider by you. Check your wireless service provider if you have questions about your service plan.
    • If you have recently unsubscribed and want to re-subscribe again, please contact us for support as we would need to remove your number from our opt-out list.
  • Air quality data may be missing for many reasons that are beyond our control. This includes local power or communications outages, instrument calibration cycles or failure. These causes may impact the timely delivery of Air Quality Advisory notifications.
 

Troubleshooting and support

Issue: I haven't received any emails or text messages confirming my subscription.

  • If you do not see a confirmation email or text message, check to see if it has been flagged as spam or junk email.
  • If you are a current subscriber and have not received an air quality notification, please contact us and we'll verify your subscription.
  • For SMS text messages, if you have recently unsubscribed and want to re-subscribe again, please contact us for support as we would need to remove your number from our opt-out list.

Issue: When I get an air quality notification, I am immediately notified that I have unsubscribed and I have to re-subscribe again.

  • We are currently working on this issue as it has impacted a small number of subscribers. Our investigation so far has discovered that organizations that use security software such as Microsoft Defender (Advanced Threat Protection or Safe Links) may impact the subscription service. We recommend that organizations add our website/service (aqss.nrs.gov.bc.ca) to their custom whitelist.
  • If you are experiencing this type of issue, please contact us and we'll work together to help resolve it.

 

 

Privacy and Collection Notice

Email addresses and mobile phone numbers are collected under section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, for the purpose of providing content updates. Should you have any questions about the collection or use of this information, please contact us using our contact form, by phone at +1 (778) 698-4448 or by mail at PO Box 9338, Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, B.C. V8W 9M1, attn.: Environmental and Climate Monitoring Section, Knowledge Management Branch.

 

 

Reminder

Don't forget to confirm your subscription.

Your confirmation email and text message contains a link that you need to click on to activate your subscription. If you do not receive a confirmation message, contact us for support.

Contact information

Contact B.C. Air Quality for any issues, questions or comments about the Air Quality Subscription Service.