The Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership (HAMP): Building Trust Through Better Air Quality Information

For 25 years, the Heartland Air Monitoring Partnership (HAMP) has helped communities, industry and government better understand the air they share. As a 2026 CFA Community Champion Award nominee, HAMP’s work demonstrates how collaboration, transparency and credible information can bring people together around a shared goal.

Established in 2000, HAMP began by taking over a collection of fence-line monitoring stations operated by individual industries in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland. Since then, its network has grown into a regional system that provides a broader picture of air quality across a 4,500-square-kilometre area north and east of Edmonton.

Today, HAMP continuously collects air quality data 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with information available to the public. Its Board brings together representatives from industry, government and the public, while a scientific Technical Working Group helps guide its work.

“Our approach is science-based, and we are serious about ensuring that the data we collect is high quality and credible for government and industry to make informed decisions,” says Nadine Blaney, HAMP’s executive director.

That multi-stakeholder approach is central to HAMP’s impact. By using consensus-based decision-making, the organization creates a space where different perspectives can be heard and decisions can be made collaboratively.

“This made-in-Alberta approach holds the most value in the fact that we are multi-stakeholder, with representation from industry, all levels of government and the public,” Nadine says. “This collaboration between all sectors enables Airsheds to accomplish goals that any one sector alone would have great difficulty achieving.”

Over the years, HAMP has expanded its monitoring network to include community stations in Bruderheim, Gibbons, Redwater and Lamont, along with a portable station that can be deployed where additional monitoring is needed.

Since 2019, the portable station has brought air quality monitoring to communities including Bon Accord, Chipman, Thorhild, Newbrook and Waskatenau, as well as rural areas in Sturgeon County. For residents in these communities, that means having access to information about air quality where they live.

HAMP has also made education and outreach an increasingly important part of its work, using workshops, community events, school programs, special projects and social media to make air quality information easier to understand.

“It is our hope that residents in the HAMP region are aware of what we are doing, and increase their own understanding of air quality,” Nadine says.

The Imperial team worked closely with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) through technical workshops and regular discussions to apply the regulatory requirements within a real-world refinery environment. 

“Every refinery is configured differently,” said Louise. “Taking a theoretical concept like co-processing and then applying it to an operational refinery in real time is extremely challenging.” 

That commitment to accessibility reflects a broader role for HAMP: helping communities and industry make informed decisions based on shared facts. For industry, the data supports regulatory requirements and provides information that can help identify trends, understand cumulative impacts and contribute to continuous improvement.

HAMP also participates in collaborative initiatives such as Alberta’s Designated Industrial Zone work, contributing to discussions around regional air quality objectives, data gaps and shared knowledge.

As Alberta’s industrial communities continue to grow and evolve, understanding how different emission sources collectively affect air quality will remain important. HAMP’s regional approach provides a foundation for that understanding while bringing the people who live, work and operate in the region to the same table.

Looking ahead, HAMP sees continued engagement as essential to maintaining that foundation. Its monitoring network has grown significantly since 2000, but its purpose remains much the same: providing credible information that communities, industry and government can use to better understand air quality and make informed decisions.

That shared responsibility is at the heart of HAMP’s work, and a key part of what makes its 25 years of community impact worth recognizing.