Cool autumn days mean it’s time to heat our homes again. If you burn wood, please do your part and burn it smart! See tips for increasing your burning efficiency and reducing harmful air pollutants here. Air quality affects the physical and economic health of Williams Lake. Like the water we all drink, the air we breathe is a valuable and essential resource. Long-term residents of Williams Lake will remember the polluting beehive burners that were decommissioned in the mid 1990s. We have come along way since then but there is still a need to further improve local air quality. In 2005 Williams Lake recorded the first and the sixth highest level of fine particulate air pollution out of 38 communities in B.C. where continuous monitoring is conducted. The good news is that we can all do something to tackle this problem. Steps are being taken at all levels, from the individual that refuses to idle whilst waiting for a drive-through coffee, through industry and local business to regional government. We can all take action and with care and good planning we can all look forward to a future where we will breathe easy.