Search Climate Insights Directory

The natural infrastructure sector in the Canadian Prairies contributed over CAD 4.1 billion to GDP and employed over 33,000 people directly in 2022. In Manitoba, the sector directly employed over 5,700 people and contributed over CAD 540 million to the provincial economy in 2022. Investment scenarios for Manitoba suggest that annual investments of CAD 10 million or CAD 25 million could increase direct jobs by 8% to 21% and direct GDP by 7% to 17%. Similar growth potentials are identified for Alberta and Saskatchewan, where natural infrastructure is viewed as a means to bridge water infrastructure gaps and increase resilience against floods, droughts, and wildfires.

The document highlights the economic value of natural infrastructure in the Canadian Prairies, noting that in 2022, the sector directly employed over 33,000 people and contributed over CAD 4.1 billion to the region's GDP. In Saskatchewan specifically, the sector directly employed over 5,800 people and contributed CAD 640 million to the provincial economy in 2022. The report argues that increased annual investments—such as CAD 10 million or CAD 25 million in Saskatchewan—could significantly boost direct jobs and GDP while addressing water infrastructure gaps and increasing resilience against climate impacts like floods, droughts, and wildfires.

The document highlights the economic contributions of natural infrastructure in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, noting that the sector provides jobs and GDP growth while increasing resilience to climate-related weather extremes. In Alberta specifically, the sector directly employed over 21,000 people and contributed CAD 2.9 billion to the provincial economy in 2022. The report argues that increased annual investments—such as CAD 20 million or CAD 50 million in Alberta—would further drive job creation and GDP while addressing water infrastructure gaps and buffering against floods, droughts, and wildfires.

The document argues that Canadian oil producers face an existential threat as global oil demand is projected to peak around 2030. While Canada's heavy reliance on U.S. refineries provides a temporary buffer, this will not shield the sector from falling global prices and declining demand. The brief concludes that ESG credentials and production costs are insufficient to maintain competitiveness against Middle Eastern producers, necessitating urgent economic diversification.

The document contends that Canada's oil and gas industry, bolstered by windfall profits, should fund its own decarbonization rather than relying on public subsidies. It highlights that current government supports, such as those for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), often fail to yield meaningful emissions reductions and may even enable increased production. The author argues that public funds would be more effectively spent on proven low-carbon technologies like renewable energy and grid electrification to meet Canada's 2030 climate targets and ensure long-term energy security.

The document asserts that Canada's reliance on oil, gas, and coal leaves it vulnerable to global market volatility and geopolitical shocks, despite being a major producer. It argues that renewable energy sources like wind and solar are now more cost-effective than fossil fuels and can provide long-term price stability because they do not require input fuels. The brief highlights Canada's existing hydroelectric capacity as a key asset for balancing variable renewables and suggests that electrifying transport and heating will further reduce exposure to fossil fuel price spikes. It concludes that prioritizing investments in flexible, integrated electricity grids and energy efficiency is essential for achieving a non-emitting electricity grid by 2035 and ensuring affordable energy security.

The report identifies a 'carbon-pricing certainty gap' that inhibits private investment in Canada's industrial decarbonization. It proposes three primary recommendations: introducing carbon contracts for difference (CCfDs) to guarantee the carbon-price schedule, preventing carbon-credit oversupply through strengthened federal benchmarks and public registries, and offering policy-contingent loans via the Canada Infrastructure Bank. The authors suggest that a successful CCfD program could accelerate up to 40 Mt of emissions reductions by 2030 with limited contingent liabilities for the government.

The document asserts that Canada's reliance on oil, gas, and coal exposes it to global market volatility and geopolitical risks, as evidenced by record-high fuel prices in 2022. It argues that renewable energy sources like wind and solar are now more cost-effective than fossil fuels and provide long-term price stability because they do not require input fuels. The brief highlights Canada's existing hydroelectric capacity and transmission infrastructure as key assets for integrating variable renewables. It recommends accelerating the electrification of transportation and heating, improving interprovincial grid connectivity, and investing in energy storage to achieve a non-emitting electricity grid by 2035.

The document contends that the Canadian oil and gas industry has sufficient windfall profits to fund its own decarbonization and that public subsidies for the sector, particularly for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), create significant opportunity costs. It highlights that previous government supports have sometimes increased overall emissions by enabling higher production. The authors advocate for shifting public investment toward proven low-carbon technologies like wind, solar, and energy efficiency to meet Canada's 2030 climate targets.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) urges the Edmonton City Council to ban cosmetic pesticides, asserting that such bans are popular, cost-effective, and essential for protecting human and environmental health. CAPE argues that the current risk assessment approach is insufficient and advocates for an 'alternatives assessment' paradigm that prioritizes hazard prevention over acceptable risk. The document links pesticide use to broader planetary health crises, noting that pesticides can negatively impact soil biodiversity and carbon sequestration, thereby exacerbating the climate emergency. CAPE cites various health risks associated with pesticides, including links to cancers, reproductive problems, and Parkinson's disease, and points to successful bans in other jurisdictions as models for Edmonton to follow.

The document asserts that Canada lacks the necessary infrastructure to provide immediate LNG supplies to the EU following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It highlights that while the EU seeks short-term alternatives, it is simultaneously accelerating its 'Fit for 55' and 'REPower' plans to reduce gas demand and achieve climate neutrality. With new Canadian projects taking at least three years to complete, the author concludes that such investments risk becoming stranded assets as European demand declines.

The report analyzes the status of women in the Canadian large-scale mining sector, finding that they are persistently underrepresented at approximately 16% of the workforce. While women in mining are often highly educated and concentrated in professional or exploration roles, they face systemic barriers including gender pay gaps, limited access to support networks, and higher rates of unresolved discrimination and harassment. The document recommends that governments mandate disaggregated data reporting and integrate psychological safety into occupational health and safety legislation to improve workplace culture and equity.

The document examines the feasibility of using Canadian LNG to replace Russian gas in the EU, concluding that the 3-to-5-year timeline for building new Canadian facilities is incompatible with the EU's immediate needs and its medium-term goal of phasing out gas by 2025-2027.

Canada committed in 2009 to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, a goal it recently accelerated to 2023. However, the lack of a clear, shared definition of 'inefficient' remains a barrier. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that Canada should adopt the World Trade Organization's definition of subsidies and apply four specific criteria—alignment with climate commitments, support for the low carbon economy, just transition consistency, and the effectiveness of the policy goal—to identify which subsidies are inefficient. The brief highlights that federal subsidies totaled at least CAD 1.91 billion in 2020, with additional billions provided at the provincial level.

The report analyzes 21 international taxonomies to provide a framework for a potential Canadian transition taxonomy, emphasizing the need for science-based thresholds to avoid greenwashing in a resource-dependent economy.

The report argues that Canada's oil and gas sector must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, specifically fugitive methane, to survive falling global demand. It proposes a short-term focus on decarbonizing production through a sector-specific emissions cap and a long-term pivot toward becoming 'carbon management' companies. These companies would leverage Canada's geological advantages to produce blue and green hydrogen, low-carbon chemical feedstocks, and carbon-negative products using carbon capture and storage (CCS) and direct air capture.

The report argues that the Canadian oil and gas sector, which accounted for nearly 27% of national greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, must transition to remain competitive as global demand for crude oil is projected to decline by approximately 80% by 2050. Short-term priorities include a drastic reduction of methane fugitive emissions—targeting a 75% reduction by 2030—and the implementation of a sector-specific emissions cap that declines to net-zero by 2050. Long-term, the author proposes that the industry pivot toward producing low-carbon fuels and chemical feedstocks using blue and green hydrogen, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and biomass. The report suggests creating industrial hubs in locations like Fort Saskatchewan and Medicine Hat to coordinate the production and storage of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon, effectively transforming oil and gas companies into 'carbon management companies'.

The policy brief argues that Canada lacks a shared definition of 'inefficient fossil fuel subsidies,' which hinders its commitment to phase them out. It proposes a four-part assessment framework—alignment with climate commitments, support for a low-carbon economy, just transition consistency, and overall policy effectiveness—to ensure transparency and accountability in eliminating these subsidies.

The briefing argues that Canada lacks a clear definition of 'inefficient' fossil fuel subsidies, which hinders its commitment to phase them out. It proposes four criteria for evaluation: compliance with climate commitments, support for a low-emission economy, consistency with a just transition, and optimal policy achievement. The authors recommend adopting the WTO definition of subsidies and applying these criteria to both federal and provincial funding to ensure transparency and accountability.

The British Columbia Low Carbon Fuel Standard has reduced annual transport emissions by an average of 6% from 2010 to 2020 and is projected to meet 31% of the province's 2030 reduction goals. The author proposes two main modifications: expanding the scope to include aviation and marine fuels—which are expected to represent 51% of transport emissions by 2050—and allowing compliance credits for direct air capture with permanent storage. To succeed, the document argues the province must address incentive gaps that currently favor renewable diesel over low-carbon jet fuels, account for indirect land-use change in carbon footprint calculations to support advanced biofuels, and expand the geographic eligibility of direct air capture projects beyond provincial borders to accelerate deployment and reduce costs.