If you live in Montreal's east end, your life expectancy is, on average, nine years less than Montrealers who live in other parts of the city.
That's according to figures attributed to Montreal's east end regional health board, which compared statistics with those from the west end's board.
And, the opposition at City Hall is calling for studies into why that is and what can be done about it.
The Ensemble Montréal party has drawn up a resolution calling for the studies, which it intends to present at next Monday's council meeting.
Francesco Miele is the opposition critic at city hall, for the environment.
"We know that the concentration of industries, or the concentration of substances that are in the air, are mainly in the east end of Montreal," Miele says.
He says one of the things they're asking for is to have the city's public safety department analyze whether there needs to be more air quality measuring stations in the eastern portion of Montreal.
The motion also claims studies exist showing a higher incidence of respiratory ailments in places like Pointe-aux-Trembles, Montreal East and Anjou — particularly among children and the elderly. It also suggests that in these areas, where there's a higher concentration of oil refineries and other industrial businesses, there's a higher concentration of pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, ozone, and hydrogen sulfide.