Ponoka mulls invitation to join PAMZ

PONOKA -- The Parkland Airshed Management Zone has invited the Town of Ponoka to join its ranks.

The organization -- also known as PAMZ -- is a multi-stakeholder non-profit consisting of industry, provincial and local governments, environmental non-government organizations, and the public. It was formed in 1997 to monitor and address air quality issues within the west central region of Alberta. In a letter to Ponoka Council, they invite the township to join them as one of their member municipalities.

In 2025, PAMZ completed twenty-eight years of operations and twenty-six years operating their Regional Air Quality Monitoring Program. As part of their work, they completed community health-based air quality monitoring in various Central Alberta municipalities including Red Deer and Sylvan Lake. They also conducted a six-month Air Quality Monitoring Program for the Alberta Energy Regulator to characterize air quality in the Eagle Valley-Eagle Hill area of Mountain View County.

Their invitation to the Town of Ponoka was tabled at the municipality's most recent Council meeting on Feb. 24, 2026. Should the township decide to become a member of the Parkland Airshed Management Zone, it's expected to cost them a little over $2,475 in membership fees for 2026. Some of the current municipal members of PAMZ include Lacombe, Bentley, Red Deer, Clearwater, Red Deer County, and Mountain View.