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The Canadian Climate Institute proposes a Powering Canada Forward Fund (PCFF) to address the financial challenge of scaling Canada's electricity grid. Because current regulatory models pass the cost of new infrastructure immediately to ratepayers, there is a risk that rising bills will deter the electrification needed for climate goals. The PCFF would use federal funding to cover the gap between utility costs and customer receipts, deferring the cost of anticipatory build-out until new demand arrives to share the burden. This mechanism shifts demand risk from ratepayers to the federal government and ensures that the benefits of a larger, more efficient system are shared across generations of users.

The Canadian Climate Institute proposes a Canada Electrification Progress Fund (CEPF) to decouple the immediate costs of grid expansion from consumer electricity bills. By providing federal government-guaranteed funding to cover the gap between current revenues and the costs of new infrastructure, the fund aims to prevent price spikes that could discourage electrification. The proposal suggests that the federal government is best positioned to absorb the risk of demand uncertainty and that the fund would be repaid over several decades as the expanded customer base increases revenues. The CEPF would complement the Canada Infrastructure Bank by managing network-scale financial risk and timing of cost recovery rather than project-specific financing.

Climate change is increasing the severity, size, and duration of wildfires in Canada, leading to record-breaking seasons in 2023 and 2025. These events cause significant public health crises through smoke inhalation, substantial economic losses in infrastructure and the forestry sector, and disproportionate impacts on Indigenous communities. The document argues for a dual approach of protecting communities through fire resilience and accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to limit further warming.

The document details the increasing intensity and scale of Canadian wildfires driven by climate change, highlighting record-breaking seasons in 2023 and 2025. It analyzes the severe health consequences of wildfire smoke, the economic burden of disaster recovery and insurance, and the disproportionate impact on Indigenous populations. The text argues for a dual approach of defensive adaptation and offensive mitigation through the phase-out of fossil fuels.

The report details a national survey of 2,219 Canadians showing strong public demand for urgent government action on water infrastructure, with 72.5% viewing it as an urgent priority. While awareness of the term 'natural infrastructure' is low (47% have not heard it), there is high support (71.1%) for its implementation as a cost-effective alternative or supplement to grey infrastructure. The findings highlight significant regional disparities, such as high rates of water main breaks in the Prairies and seasonal shortages in British Columbia, and underscore a persistent infrastructure gap for Indigenous communities who experience disproportionately higher rates of boil-water advisories and water shortages.

The report evaluates three carbon price scenarios for Canada from 2030 to 2040: a flat price (CAD 130/t CO2e), a low price (rising to CAD 230/t CO2e), and a high price (rising to CAD 380/t CO2e). It concludes that a high-price trajectory is the most effective for driving investment in clean projects and achieving significant emissions reductions with minimal economic impact. However, the report emphasizes that carbon pricing alone is insufficient to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and must be supported by robust complementary policies and differentiated tightening of performance standards, particularly in sectors like oil and gas production.

The document details how climate change intensifies droughts through higher temperatures and altered precipitation, leading to severe economic losses in agriculture and hydropower, increased wildfire risks, and public health threats in Canada.

Climate change is increasing the risk and severity of droughts globally and across Canada, leading to significant economic losses in agriculture and hydroelectricity, increased wildfire risk, and public health threats. In Canada, the southern Prairies and interior British Columbia are particularly vulnerable, with 2025 seeing 85% of the country abnormally dry. The document advocates for proactive drought response plans, water conservation, and strengthened agricultural resilience to mitigate these impacts.

The document outlines the technical processes of hydraulic fracturing and its associated risks, including greenhouse gas emissions during drilling and the release of carcinogens and radioactive materials in 'produce-water'. It synthesizes literature linking UOGD to adverse birth outcomes, childhood cancers, and increased mortality. Additionally, it criticizes the Nova Scotia government's Subsurface Energy Research and Development Investment Program (SERDIP), managed by Dalhousie University, for lacking a clear health research plan and allowing the government to control the publication of findings.

The document posits that the lived experience and intergenerational knowledge of Métis harvesters provide more granular and longitudinal climate data than official monitoring systems. It highlights how environmental changes—such as unpredictable berry ripening and shifting animal populations—are detected by harvesters long before they appear in scientific datasets. The author argues that colonial frameworks have marginalized this knowledge, and that true climate resilience requires integrating Métis observation as primary data, protecting harvesting rights, and supporting the intergenerational transmission of land-based knowledge.

The document posits that the lived experience and intergenerational knowledge of Métis harvesters provide more granular and place-specific climate data than formal monitoring systems. It highlights how changing environmental patterns—such as unpredictable saskatoon berry ripening and altered freeze-thaw cycles—are already evident to harvesters. The author argues that the erosion of harvesting access due to industrial contamination, habitat loss, and social threats constitutes a climate impact and a violation of food sovereignty. The text calls for a redesign of climate monitoring to co-develop frameworks with Métis communities and treat the transmission of harvesting knowledge as a priority for climate adaptation.

Health organizations are calling on the Saskatchewan government to adhere to the 2030 coal phase-out, citing severe health risks from air pollution and the economic viability of renewable energy alternatives.

The report argues that Canada's historical advantage of low-cost electricity is at risk due to outdated grid infrastructure, cautious energy planning, and policy instability. By comparing Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec with international peers like Texas and Germany, the analysis finds that Canadian grids often under-plan for industrial growth and lag in flexibility and transmission capacity. The document recommends that the federal government support interprovincial coordination, provide targeted funding for grid expansion, ensure a stable Clean Electricity Regulation, and prioritize grid flexibility to maintain industrial competitiveness.

The document outlines a comparative framework using six indicators—energy planning, flexible grid planning, transmission planning, electricity procurement, industrial rate modernization, and climate policy predictability—to assess the competitiveness of jurisdictions including Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, Germany, the UK, Norway, New South Wales, Washington, and Texas.

The report finds that Canadian provinces are generally underplanning for industrial electricity demand and lagging in system flexibility and transmission build-out compared to international peers. While hydro-led provinces like Quebec and British Columbia have inherent flexibility advantages, non-hydro jurisdictions like Alberta and Ontario need to proactively build capacity. The report recommends that the federal government support interprovincial energy planning, deploy the national balance sheet for anticipatory grid build-out, implement flexible Clean Electricity Regulations, and prioritize system flexibility in federal programs.

The document outlines a benchmarking framework used to assess how jurisdictions attract investment in wind, solar, and battery projects. It defines six metrics: energy planning, flexibility planning, transmission planning, electricity procurement, industrial rate modernization, and climate policy certainty. The report provides the specific data sources, scoring rubrics, and calculation methods used to evaluate Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, New South Wales, Washington, and Texas.

The report analyzes three carbon price scenarios for Canada's industrial sector: a flat price (CAD 130/t), a low price (rising to CAD 230/t), and a high price (rising to CAD 380/t by 2040). It finds that a high-price trajectory significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and stimulates clean investment with minimal impact on GDP growth. The authors recommend adopting a strong national price trajectory, differentiating performance standard tightening rates based on sectoral competitiveness risks—specifically tightening faster for oil and gas—and implementing complementary policies such as a green industrial strategy and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies.

The study evaluates the financial and environmental burden of eight common single-use plastics in Canada. It finds a significant lack of consistent data across municipalities, with costs often underestimated because they are based on weight rather than the high volume these plastics occupy. The report highlights that cigarette butts are the most frequent litter item, while plastic bottles and cups generate substantial management costs. It also estimates that microplastic pollution could risk between 0.5 and 2.16 billion CAD annually in Canadian agricultural production for wheat and corn. To address these gaps, the authors developed a 'Plastic Waste Cost Calculator' tool for local authorities and recommend shifting toward volumetric waste measurement and standardized data collection.

The Canadian Climate Institute evaluates recent federal climate policy developments, expressing concern over industrial carbon pricing while emphasizing the critical importance of upcoming vehicle emission standards. The author argues that for Canada to meet its goal of emission reductions equivalent to a 75% electric vehicle (EV) adoption rate by 2035, the government must ensure policy details are sufficiently strict and avoid excessive compliance flexibilities. The document highlights the global trend toward EVs, noting that China's rapid adoption and the resulting decline in global oil demand threaten Canada's automotive and oil sectors if the country fails to transition effectively.

The document examines the intersection of AI data centre growth and Canada's electricity grid, highlighting risks such as increased emissions from gas-powered generation and the potential for data centres to crowd out other electrification efforts. Conversely, it suggests that data centres can act as 'anchor tenants' for cleaner grids by spurring private investment in infrastructure and providing grid flexibility. Because electricity regulation is primarily provincial, the author proposes a federal framework of 'conditional carrots' (funding tied to clean energy), 'binding sticks' (Clean Electricity Regulations and carbon pricing), and 'transparency infrastructure' (national reporting standards) to align provincial actions with national climate objectives.