Canada Advancing Global Efforts on Mercury Management

Canada has ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury, committing to reduce transboundary pollution and manage domestic emissions. While atmospheric emissions have decreased, Canada remains susceptible to long-range transport, with over 95% of anthropogenic mercury deposition originating outside its borders. The document highlights the role of the IISD-Experimental Lake Area (IISD-ELA) in researching mercury bioaccumulation, particularly in reservoirs, and identifies critical gaps in knowledge regarding climate change impacts and non-point source emissions. Future priorities include the safe disposal of smelter waste, remediation of contaminated sites like Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemong First Nations, and improved land-use management to address methylmercury release from flooded areas.

• Canada's ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury requires the federal government to implement domestic strategies for managing mercury emissions, point source releases, exposure, and the remediation of contaminated sites.
• A significant portion of mercury deposition in Canada is caused by external sources; anthropogenic emissions account for approximately 40% of total deposition, and more than 95% of that amount comes from outside Canada.
• Methylmercury poses a severe public health risk due to its ability to biomagnify in the food chain, with predatory fish and wildlife potentially exhibiting mercury levels one million times higher than the surrounding freshwater.
• Research at the IISD-Experimental Lake Area (IISD-ELA) has demonstrated that the creation of reservoirs leads to elevated mercury levels in fish, and that the duration of increased methylation is linked to the amount of organic carbon in flooded soils and vegetation.
• The Minamata Convention imposes specific requirements on signatories, including banning primary mercury mining, restricting mercury-added products, and implementing best available techniques (BAT) for new sources such as coal-fired power plants and waste incineration.
• In Ontario, mercury management is implemented through various instruments, including the Toxics Reduction Act for emissions, the Canadian Fisheries Act for methylation control, and specific provincial commitments to remediate industrial contamination at Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemong First Nations.
• Future mercury management priorities for Canada and Ontario include developing safe disposal methods for smelter waste, addressing non-point sources like reservoirs through land-use management, and researching the impacts of climate change on mercury mobilization.

APA

Roy, D., Paterson, M., & Vaughan, S. (2017). Canada Advancing Global Efforts on Mercury Management. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/canada-advancing-global-efforts-mercury-management.pdf

Chicago

Roy, Dimple, Michael Paterson, and Scott Vaughan. Canada Advancing Global Efforts on Mercury Management. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/canada-advancing-global-efforts-mercury-management.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Roy |first1=Dimple |last2=Paterson |first2=Michael |last3=Vaughan |first3=Scott |title=Canada Advancing Global Efforts on Mercury Management |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/canada-advancing-global-efforts-mercury-management.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{roy2017canada, author = {Roy, Dimple and Paterson, Michael and Vaughan, Scott}, title = {{Canada Advancing Global Efforts on Mercury Management}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/canada-advancing-global-efforts-mercury-management.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }