Canada's Greenhouse Gas Producers to Start Reporting

OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada, March 16, 2004 (ENS) - The government of Canada is getting ready to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 when the Kyoto Protocol kicks into the first commitment phase. Canada is one of the 37 industrialized countries governed by the protocol, so all emitters of climate warming gases in large amounts must begin reporting their emissions to the government as of June 1, 2005.

Emissions rise above a power plant in Ontario (Photo courtesy Ontario Power)

“The government made a strong commitment to sustainable development in the Speech from the Throne, and to incorporating key environmental indicators including emissions reduction into its decision making,” said Anderson. “Accurate, credible, up-to-date information on greenhouse gas emissions is essential to making the right policy decisions for our economy and for our environment.”

In keeping with the desire expressed by stakeholders during consultations in 2003, the federal, provincial and territorial governments will continue to collaborate in developing a harmonized, “single-window,” domestic mandatory reporting system, and to implement it in orderly phases.

Canadian Minister of Natural Resources R. John Efford (Photo courtesy Newfoundland & Labrador)

Anderson said the mandatory reporting requipment will help to ensure that a fully developed and tested system that meets the reporting needs of all jurisdictions and the public, will be in place by the start of the first Kyoto Protocol commitment period between 2008 and 2012.

The system is expected to place a minimal burden on both Canadian industry and governments.

Many of those affected by the new requirements already report their greenhouse gas emissions through mandatory or voluntary initiatives in a number of provinces.

While Ontario already requires mandatory greenhouse gas reporting, and Alberta is expected to introduce a mandatory system soon, all jurisdictions will continue to collaborate in developing a single, harmonized, mandatory reporting system, and to implement this system in phases.

In this first phase, only facilities that emit more than 100 kilotons of greenhouse gas per year are required to report - industrial facilities that produce electricity, heat or steam using fossil fuels - integrated steel mills, facilities involved in smelting and refining metals, petroleum refineries, and chemical producers.

“A comprehensive system to track and publish greenhouse gas emissions is a basic part of any long-term strategy to address climate change,” said Matthew Bramley, director of climate change with the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development. “This is a good start, and we look forward to working with all stakeholders as the reporting system is expanded and refined in the future.”

Steel production process at Stelco in Hamilton, Ontario (Photo courtesy Stelco)

Reports will be submitted to Statistics Canada. The choice of Statistics Canada recognizes that it is a highly reliable and cost effective mechanism for reporting, with a long track record of positive working relations with industry, federal, provincial and territorial governments and nongovernmental organizations.

Stakeholders were advised in January 2003 that mandatory reporting would come into effect in 2004. Reports for 2004 emissions will be due on June 1, 2005.

Consultations on further development of a harmonized, mandatory greenhouse gas reporting system will continue through federal-provincial-territorial management, with input from industry and other stakeholders.