Feds should update Canadian Environmental Protection Act sooner than later
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), Canada’s primary law on pollution and toxic chemicals, is very outdated, placing lives at risk. The government took a year to respond to important recommendations on strengthening CEPA, but recently announced that it will not introduce legislative changes before the next election. Postponing action comes at a price. According […]
Can Canada get to 90 per cent non-emitting by 2030?
Energy: it’s a topic Canadian politicians can’t stop talking about. But the energy conversation is often framed around what we need to cut in the decades ahead—oil production, carbon pollution. Which is important, but what is missing is the equally important conversation around what we need to build. And build we must. The federal government […]
Why we should be pulling out all the stops to expand renewable energy
It is time to face some hard facts about the climate crisis. The Paris target is not a politically derived imaginary number without consequences. It is a best guess, based on science (with greater risks that it is too optimistic a number than that it is too conservative). We know human activity has already changed […]
Canada’s potential future in renewable energy: Cannings
Recently, I travelled with Canada’s Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr to the World Energy Leaders Summit and G20 energy meetings in Argentina. One of the main themes of these talks was the “grand transition” to a low carbon future. While there are political pressures to make this transition, pressures driven in part by the Paris […]
Will Canada meet its 2030 clean energy goals? Look to natural gas, electric cars, and carbon pricing for clues
The federal government eyes increasing the share of non-emitting electricity generation to 90 per cent by 2030—but will Canada get there? Probably not, according to experts who spoke to The Hill Times. But Canada may get close. Industry officials and researchers said the federal government needs to, at the very least, follow its low-carbon economic plan. They also […]
Canada has a lot to do to fight climate change as we swelter in rising temperatures.
TORONTO—With cities around the world—including Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto—recently experiencing record-breaking heat and humidity, it’s possible that this will become the new normal. Climate experts are wary of attributing every spike in temperatures to climate change, but they are warning the heat wave we have been experiencing is consistent with what climate models are forecasting. […]
Feds’ fight over carbon tax with Ford could help Trudeau score points, say NDP, Liberal politicos
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s fight with the feds over the carbon tax delivers the Trudeau government the kind of political opposition that could work to its favour, say some Liberal- and NDP-connected politicos, while some Tory insiders say that the growing provincial opposition will help strengthen the Conservatives’ appeal federally. “The Liberals like the fight […]
Feds shy away from endorsing regulatory overhaul for ‘high-concern’ chemicals in CEPA reform
The federal government is not moving away from its current approach toward regulating high-risk chemicals, despite strong calls from environmentalists to change the formula to require industry to prove to federal regulators that some substances are safe before they’re used. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna (Ottawa Centre, Ont.) responded to the 87 recommendations on June 29 […]
Ford’s move serves to sabotage environmental responsibility
OTTAWA—Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s very first political act was to scrap the provincial cap and trade system. He framed the decision as “promise made, promise kept,” circulating a video tweet that features gas tank prices going down. As of last Thursday, 32,000 people had viewed the tweet and almost 2,000 liked what they saw. But […]
Ministers meeting could mark Canada’s return to conservation leadership
When Canada’s ministers responsible for conservation, wildlife, and biodiversity meet in Ottawa on Thursday to hash out a national strategy on protected areas and conservation, the gathering could mark another step towards this country’s return as a global conservation leader. Canadians discouraged by years of Canada’s relative conservation neglect may want to take heart. The meeting […]
