Pollution Probe
A Canadian environmental advocacy organization focused on reducing pollution and improving public health.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Pollution Probe is a Canadian nonprofit environmental advocacy organization established in 1969 by students and faculty associated with the University of Toronto. It is among Canada's early environmental nongovernmental organizations and has worked to connect scientific research, public education, policy development, and advocacy. The organization originally concentrated on air pollution in Ontario, but its agenda broadened over time to include water quality, hazardous substances, transportation emissions, climate change, energy systems, and broader environmental health concerns across Canada. Its work has generally been policy-oriented rather than commercial. Pollution Probe has sought to influence governments, utilities, businesses, researchers, and the public through technical studies, coalition-building, public campaigns, demonstrations, and recommendations for regulatory change. Historical areas of activity include restrictions on DDT, controls on phosphates in detergents, recycling initiatives, acid-rain policy, the removal of lead from gasoline, vehicle-emissions testing, and reductions in industrial and transport-related emissions. The organization has also played a role in environmental education. In 1980 it opened Ecology House, described as an environmental education centre and an urban demonstration of local self-reliance. Its Clean Air Commute campaign, launched in 1993, promoted transportation choices intended to reduce air pollution and increase awareness of commuting-related emissions. Later work increasingly addressed climate policy and the transition to lower-emission transportation, including electric-vehicle adoption and zero-emission-vehicle policy. In the 2010s, Pollution Probe collaborated with utilities, Plug'n Drive, financial-sector partners, and government advisory processes. These activities included research on electric mobility, recommendations to accelerate electric-vehicle sales and use, participation in discussions about zero-emission vehicles, and a Great Lakes watershed-planning report produced with Royal Bank of Canada. The organization presents itself as a research-informed environmental institution whose value lies in translating environmental evidence into practical public policy and behavioral change. Pollution Probe does not manufacture consumer products or operate as a conventional commercial brand. Its principal offerings are research reports, policy recommendations, public education, stakeholder initiatives, and advocacy campaigns. The organization remains oriented toward Canadian environmental and public-health outcomes, with clean air, clean water, climate action, and pollution prevention as recurring themes.
History
Pollution Probe was formed in 1969 by students and faculty at the University of Toronto who wanted to respond to growing concerns about environmental degradation. Its earliest work focused on air pollution in Ontario, but the organization soon broadened its understanding of pollution to include chemical contaminants, water quality, waste, industrial emissions, transportation, and climate-related risks. From the beginning, it combined public communication with efforts to influence government policy. One of its early campaigns addressed DDT and other environmental contaminants. Pollution Probe also advocated limits on phosphates in detergents, helping bring the issue into public discussion and contributing to legislative action in Ontario. These efforts helped establish the organization's profile as an intermediary between scientific and environmental concerns and the institutions responsible for regulation. In 1970, it received the White Owl Conservation Award for public awareness work involving detergent phosphates and its role in advocacy connected with DDT restrictions. During the 1970s, Pollution Probe participated in the development of recycling initiatives in Ontario and supported measures addressing emissions associated with acid rain. In 1973, it helped initiate recycling programs, while in 1979 it helped build support for legislation aimed at restricting acid-rain-causing emissions. In 1980, it expanded its educational role by opening Ecology House, an environmental education centre and urban demonstration of local self-reliance. The facility represented an effort to make environmental ideas visible through practical examples rather than relying solely on policy debate. The organization continued to work on transportation and industrial pollution during the 1980s and 1990s. Its advocacy contributed to regulations removing lead from gasoline in 1988. In 1993, it launched the annual Clean Air Commute campaign, which encouraged people to consider transportation options that could reduce emissions and improve urban air quality. Pollution Probe later supported mandatory vehicle-emissions testing in Ontario, which was achieved in 1998. In the 2000s, its work included industrial pollution and acid-rain-related emissions. In 2004, Pollution Probe helped obtain further Ontario regulations addressing emissions from metal-smelting facilities. The organization subsequently placed greater emphasis on climate change and low-carbon transportation. In 2010, it helped persuade the Ontario legislature to enact regulations limiting greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and trucks. Pollution Probe's transportation work became more focused on electrification during the 2010s. In 2013, it worked with five power utilities on the Electric Mobility Adoption and Prediction project, known as EMAP. The project examined factors affecting electric-mobility adoption and helped frame transportation electrification as a matter requiring coordination among policymakers, utilities, vehicle users, and infrastructure providers. In 2016, Pollution Probe and Plug'n Drive published recommendations intended to increase electric-vehicle sales and use. In 2017, the organization joined an advisory group involved in developing a plan to expand zero-emission-vehicle adoption. The organization has also addressed ecosystem-scale environmental planning. In 2019, Pollution Probe partnered with Royal Bank of Canada on a Great Lakes watershed-planning report. The report used data analysis to examine ecosystem functions and identify possible future actions to improve the health of the Great Lakes system. This work reflected the organization's broader evolution from a primarily local air-pollution campaigner into a national environmental policy and research organization. Pollution Probe's institutional model remains nonprofit and advocacy-based. It does not sell a conventional product portfolio; instead, it produces research, convenes stakeholders, educates the public, and promotes policy and regulatory measures. Its continuing thematic priorities include clean air, clean water, climate action, transportation emissions, and the relationship between environmental conditions and human health.
- 2019
Great Lakes watershed-planning report
[1]Pollution Probe and Royal Bank of Canada collaborate on a data-informed assessment of Great Lakes watershed health and future interventions.
- 2017
Zero-emission-vehicle advisory role
[1]Pollution Probe joins an advisory group working on a plan to increase zero-emission-vehicle adoption.
- 2016
Electric-vehicle adoption report
[1]Pollution Probe and Plug'n Drive publish recommendations to increase electric-vehicle sales and use.
- 2013
EMAP project launched
[1]Pollution Probe collaborates with five power utilities on the Electric Mobility Adoption and Prediction project.
- 2010
Vehicle greenhouse-gas regulations
[1]Pollution Probe helps persuade Ontario legislators to enact limits on greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and trucks.
- 2004
Metal-smelter emissions regulations
[1]The organization helps secure additional Ontario measures to reduce emissions from metal-smelting facilities linked to acid-rain concerns.
- 1998
Mandatory vehicle-emissions testing in Ontario
[1]Pollution Probe helps support the passage of mandatory vehicle-emissions testing in Ontario.
- 1993
Clean Air Commute begins
[1]The organization launches its annual Clean Air Commute campaign to promote lower-pollution transportation choices.
- 1988
Lead removal from gasoline
[1]Pollution Probe helps obtain regulations aimed at removing lead from gasoline.
- 1980
Ecology House opens
[1]Pollution Probe opens Ecology House as an environmental education centre and demonstration of urban self-reliance.
Products and positioning
A research-led Canadian environmental organization that combines public education, policy advocacy, and stakeholder collaboration to reduce pollution and improve environmental health.
Research and policy
Environmental research reports
Pollution Probe produces research and analytical reports on environmental and public-health issues. Its work has covered air pollution, water quality, industrial emissions, transportation, climate change, electric mobility, and Great Lakes ecosystem planning. These publications are intended to inform policymakers, utilities, businesses, partner organizations, and the public rather than function as commercial products.
Public education campaign · 1993
Clean Air Commute
Clean Air Commute is an annual public-awareness initiative launched in 1993. It promotes transportation choices that can reduce urban air pollution and encourages people to consider the environmental effects of commuting. The campaign reflects Pollution Probe's approach of combining behavioral education with broader policy advocacy on vehicle emissions and sustainable transportation.
Transportation research · 2013
Electric Mobility Adoption and Prediction project
The Electric Mobility Adoption and Prediction project, or EMAP, was launched in 2013 with the participation of Pollution Probe and five power utilities. It examined issues affecting the adoption of electric mobility and supported discussion of the roles of utilities, infrastructure, consumers, and policymakers in transportation electrification.
Water and ecosystem research · 2019
Great Lakes watershed planning research
In collaboration with Royal Bank of Canada, Pollution Probe developed a report on planning for the Great Lakes watershed. The work used data analysis to examine ecosystem functions and identify potential actions to improve the health of the region's interconnected freshwater system.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Electric-vehicle adoption advocacy
Canada
Pollution Probe and Plug'n Drive issued recommendations designed to accelerate electric-vehicle sales and adoption.
Outcome. The recommendations contributed to policy and stakeholder discussion about increasing electric mobility.
- 1993Clean Air Commute
Ontario · Canada
An annual campaign promoting transportation options intended to reduce commuting-related air pollution and improve public understanding of urban emissions.
Outcome. The campaign became part of Pollution Probe's continuing public-education work on transportation and air quality.
- 1970Phosphate limits in detergents
Ontario · Canada
The organization raised public awareness of the environmental effects of detergent phosphates and supported legislation to limit their use.
Outcome. Legislative limits were pursued, and the campaign received the White Owl Conservation Award.
- 1969DDT restrictions advocacy
Canada
Pollution Probe campaigned for restrictions on DDT use, contributing to a broader Canadian effort that later resulted in a national ban.
Outcome. Further restrictions and a subsequent Canadian ban were achieved.
Brand decisions
2019
Apply data analysis to Great Lakes watershed planningStrategyBackground
Improving Great Lakes health requires analysis of interconnected ecosystem functions and coordinated action across watershed stakeholders.
Action taken
Pollution Probe partnered with Royal Bank of Canada on a report examining ecosystem functions and possible future interventions.
Aftermath
The collaboration broadened the organization's research and advocacy portfolio toward ecosystem-scale planning.
2016
Publish recommendations to accelerate electric-vehicle adoptionStrategyBackground
Pollution Probe and Plug'n Drive identified the need for stronger measures to increase electric-vehicle sales and use.
Action taken
The organizations published a joint report containing recommendations for expanding electric-vehicle adoption.
Aftermath
Pollution Probe continued participating in Canadian discussions about electric mobility and zero-emission vehicles.
2013
Expand into electric-mobility researchStrategyBackground
Transportation emissions and climate change had become increasingly important parts of Pollution Probe's environmental agenda.
Action taken
The organization collaborated with five power utilities to launch the Electric Mobility Adoption and Prediction project.
Aftermath
The project was followed by further electric-vehicle advocacy and recommendations in 2016 and participation in a zero-emission-vehicle advisory process in 2017.
Recent events
- 2019
Pollution Probe and Royal Bank of Canada collaborate on Great Lakes watershed planning[1]
Other
The partners produced a report using data analysis to examine Great Lakes ecosystem functions and identify possible actions to improve watershed health.
- 2017
Pollution Probe joins a zero-emission-vehicle advisory group[1]
Regulation · Other
Pollution Probe was appointed to an advisory position connected with the development of a plan to increase the use of zero-emission vehicles.
- 2016
Pollution Probe and Plug'n Drive publish electric-vehicle recommendations[1]
Product launch · Other
The two organizations released recommendations intended to support higher electric-vehicle sales and broader adoption in Canada.
- 1980
Pollution Probe launches Ecology House[1]
Other
Pollution Probe opened an environmental education centre and urban demonstration site focused on local self-reliance and practical environmental learning.
- 1970
Pollution Probe receives the White Owl Conservation Award[1]
Other
The organization was recognized for raising public awareness about phosphates in detergents and for its role in advocacy associated with restrictions on DDT and detergent phosphates.
Sources2 sources
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