Primarily: I Have never heard of any Volvo failing Ontario's emmissions test. I would do the following:

1) Carefully check that the secondary air injection system is operational. This is especially important if the mechanic fails to properly warm up the car.

2) Ensure that the Catalytic converter is not plugged, leaking or that the platinum plates have worked thier way loose. An exhaust shop will be able to perform a simple back-pressure test to confirm this.

3) Look for other symptoms such as a bad or worn O2 sensor, or engine fault codes.

4) If none of this proves to fix the problem, try changing brands of fuel, cleaning the PVC valve and having the car re-tested at another shop.

Andrew P

Toronto, Ontario, Canada