A review of environmental noise policies and regulations in Quebec, Canada, and internationally (US, Europe, Australia) at different levels of government is underway.
The review analyzes regulatory frameworks over a period of fifty years, focusing mainly on the enforced regulations, as well as documenting a large number of new tools and legislative changes as the scope of noise regulations has broadened over the past two decades in most of these areas.
The study identified and compared different conceptions and definitions of noise, but in particular examines the noise levels prescribed in policies and regulations, expressed as decibel values, and the parameters that frame these “guide values” (variation depending on time of day, type of area exposed to noise, type of source, etc.). The main noise measurement methods and protocols were also identified by researchers from the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS). The main sources of noise present in the environment (noise from road, rail, air, maritime transport, stationary sources, i.e. industry, large energy production facilities, etc.) are discussed, as well as their treatment. by the different levels of government (national state, province / state / region, city / municipality). The study further contributes to knowledge on the subject by developing ways of comparing and representing these values across jurisdictions and different parameters.
Beyond or in support of regulations, we engage in other types of interventions aimed at raising awareness both among decision-makers and the general public.
Lastly, the project also intends to deepen, in the same geographical areas, the different models favoring the management of noise in town planning and development. This is also done through a review of practices and regulatory frameworks that attempts to identify what contributes or hinders in order to take into account noise from the start of a process of design and land use planning and go beyond the traditional approach to noise reduction and control, better thinking about the sound environment as a resource for future environments.
Valeurs guide is financed by the Ministère de la Santé et des services sociaux (MSSS) and the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (MDDELCC).