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POLLUTING EDUCATION
The document serves as a resource guide for the Canadian education system to counter the influence of corporate interests in climate curricula. It categorizes a wide array of vetted materials across themes such as climate science, Indigenous perspectives, civic engagement, and climate justice. Additionally, it lists advocacy networks, including For Our Kids and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, which work to remove industry-sponsored materials from schools.
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Document type: Fact sheet
FrackLNG: Experimenting with our health— What could possibly go wrong?
The document outlines the risks of 'FrackLNG' in British Columbia, noting that 84% of public health studies find evidence of hazard or risk. It highlights potential health issues such as reproductive toxicity and asthma, as well as significant threats to water and air quality. The text argues that the Pacific Northwest LNG project alone could make it nearly impossible for BC to meet its 2050 climate targets, as the project's estimated 10 Mt CO2e/year emissions would consume most of the province's 13 Mt CO2e/yr target. Additionally, it notes social risks, including increased violence against Indigenous women and girls in Northeastern BC, and calls for a moratorium on fracking permits based on the Precautionary Principle.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Application for Inquiry into the Canadian Gas Association´s false and misleading representations about natural gas
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and other applicants argue that the Canadian Gas Association (CGA) has engaged in greenwashing by marketing natural gas as a clean and affordable energy source. The document asserts that natural gas has a lifecycle climate impact comparable to coal, causes significant indoor and outdoor pollution, and is less affordable than heat pumps, especially as carbon pricing increases. The applicants request a Competition Bureau inquiry, a public retraction of the claims, and a $10 million fine.
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Document type: Report
Atrazine: Banned in Europe, Common in Canada
The document examines the risks associated with atrazine, a herbicide common in Canadian corn fields but banned in the European Union since 2003. It highlights the chemical's high leaching potential and frequent contamination of surface and groundwater, particularly in corn-growing regions of Québec. The briefing details atrazine's role as an endocrine disruptor, linking it to reproductive toxicity in animals—such as the feminization of frogs—and various reproductive health issues in humans, though it notes a lack of consensus on its carcinogenicity. It further discusses the synergistic toxicity of atrazine when mixed with other pesticides and critiques the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency's (PMRA) limited scope in its risk reviews. Finally, it suggests that corn yields can be maintained through integrated pest management and mechanical weeding, supporting the call for a national ban.
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Document type: Briefing
Document d’information : l’atrazine, interdit en Europe, répandu au Canada
The document examines the use and impact of atrazine in Canada and globally, highlighting its role as a significant environmental and health risk despite declining sales in Quebec. It details the chemical's persistence in surface and groundwater, its classification as an endocrine disruptor by several governments, and its toxic effects on wildlife, particularly amphibians. The text also discusses the lack of consensus on human carcinogenicity, the risks associated with pesticide 'cocktails', and the legal challenges surrounding its regulation in North America, ultimately advocating for a ban based on the European example.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Briefing Note: A Call for a Moratorium on Hydraulic Fracturing Expansion in BC due to Human Health and Climate Harms
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment (CANE) call for a moratorium on fracking expansion in British Columbia, citing severe health risks to local populations and the climate impact of methane leakage. They recommend a transition to zero-emissions buildings, the end of fossil fuel subsidies, and a just transition for affected workers and Indigenous communities.
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Document type: Briefing
Blueprint for a Comprehensive Oil and Gas Methane Regulation
The blueprint proposes a three-goal layered regulatory strategy to reduce oil and gas methane emissions: achieving immediate reductions via equipment and work practice standards, implementing compliance and emissions reporting, and continuously improving for deeper cuts. It emphasizes the use of OGMP 2.0 standards for MRV and suggests that import standards can be used to align foreign supplier emissions with domestic requirements.
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Document type: Guide
TURN ON THE FLOODLIGHTS: TRENDS IN DISCLOSURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL LICENCES AND COMPLIANCE DATA
The report finds that South African environmental laws generally lack mandatory disclosure requirements for licences and compliance data, relying instead on the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). This contrasts with jurisdictions like Australia and Canada, where public registries are more common. Analysis of multinational companies shows they typically disclose information only where legally required. The report recommends making disclosure mandatory for all licence holders and establishing central online public registries.
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Document type: Report
INTERBASIN WATER TRANSFERS AFTER NAFTA
The report warns that NAFTA and the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) treat water as a commodity, potentially preventing Canada from restricting large-scale water exports to the U.S. and Mexico. It details massive proposed projects like NAWAPA and the GRAND Canal, and identifies trends—such as the rise of water marketing and the impacts of global warming—that increase the likelihood of these transfers. The authors recommend forming a North American Water Task Force and pursuing legal frameworks that prioritize ecological and indigenous values over economic ones.
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Document type: Report
A WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO CLIMATE ADAPTATION
The paper argues that Canada faces an 'implementation deficit' in climate adaptation, where high-level commitments have not translated into concrete action due to poor interdepartmental coordination and a lack of systematic mainstreaming. It proposes several policy options to embed adaptation into government decision-making, including the use of statute law, central policy directives, the creation of a dedicated adaptation policy unit, and the enhancement of ex ante appraisal tools.
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Document type: Research paper
ADAPTATION AUX CHANGEMENTS CLIMATIQUES : UNE APPROCHE PANGOUVERNEMENTALE
The document argues that Canada has historically struggled to translate high-level climate adaptation aspirations into concrete action due to a lack of interministerial coordination and systematic integration. It proposes moving beyond voluntary, informal approaches toward a 'whole-of-government' approach. Key recommendations include enacting a national climate change adaptation law, issuing centralized policy directives, establishing a dedicated central adaptation policy unit, and utilizing ex ante evaluation tools. The paper highlights the UK's Climate Change Act as a successful model of legislative accountability and notes that most OECD countries possess specialized units for adaptation coordination, a feature currently lacking in Canada.
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Document type: Research paper
ASSESSING PROGRESS ON CLIMATE ADAPTATION IN CANADA
The document argues that Canada currently lacks a formalized national system for monitoring and evaluating climate adaptation, with most existing efforts focused on policy implementation (outputs) rather than actual resilience gains (outcomes). It proposes a framework based on four building blocks—context, content, operationalization, and communication—and outlines nine best practices. These include legislating a federal mandate, integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and combining quantitative indicators with qualitative methods to better understand how adaptation actions reduce vulnerability.
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Document type: Research paper
ATLANTIC CANADA: Risks and opportunities in the global low-carbon transition
Atlantic Canada faces significant fiscal and economic risks due to its reliance on oil, gas, and coal, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick. While the region shows momentum in clean technology—led by Nova Scotia—and possesses strong natural resource advantages in wind, hydro, and tidal energy, scaling these opportunities is hindered by a lack of capital, a shortage of skilled STEM labour, and a mismatch between the location of new growth and transition-vulnerable rural communities.
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Document type: Report
BRITISH COLUMBIA: Risks and opportunities in the global low-carbon transition
British Columbia is positioning itself for the low-carbon transition by leveraging a low-emissions electricity grid and a growing clean technology sector, though it faces risks from its reliance on metallurgical coal and natural gas exports. While the province has 175 transition-opportunity companies, primarily concentrated in Metro Vancouver, challenges remain regarding the domestic adoption of these technologies and the alignment of provincial policy to support small and medium-sized domestic firms. Vulnerable workers are concentrated in rural communities and among Indigenous populations, necessitating a shift in support toward new growth areas to ensure economic resilience.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Beyond Sustainability: The Power of Indigenous Healthy Energy Homes
The report examines how substandard housing in Indigenous communities in Canada contributes to poor health outcomes and energy poverty. It proposes 'Healthy Energy Homes' as a holistic solution to reduce healthcare costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and improve affordability. The authors argue that overcoming current governance and funding barriers requires a national, Indigenous-led approach to housing.
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Document type: Report
Enabling broader decarbonization through Energy Systems Integration
The document argues that while Canada has made progress in decarbonizing power supply, achieving net-zero requires Energy Systems Integration (ESI)—the coordination of energy systems across multiple pathways and scales. It examines five key ESI technologies (electric vehicles, heat pumps, demand response, distributed generation, and hydrogen) and finds that Canadian policy is currently too siloed, relying on voluntary 'soft' incentives rather than systemic market reforms or mandatory legislation. The author highlights significant gaps in information, governance, and implementation, suggesting that a holistic, pan-system approach to modelling and planning is essential to avoid sub-optimal infrastructure lock-in.
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Document type: Research paper
Improving integration and coordination of provincially-managed electricity systems in Canada
The paper analyzes the diverse structures of Canadian provincial electricity markets, noting that a lack of coordination creates economic inefficiencies and hinders the integration of renewable energy. It identifies six primary challenges to integration, including constitutional jurisdictions and vested interests in price differentials. To address these, the author proposes four strategies: enhancing bilateral projects, adopting a bottom-up Nordic-style collaborative model, utilizing the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, or implementing a federal healthcare-type framework of shared principles.
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Document type: Research paper
Technical pathways to aligning Canadian electricity systems with net zero goals
The document identifies a stark divide in Canada's electricity sector between low-emitting provinces (B.C., Manitoba, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario) and fossil fuel-based provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia). To achieve net zero, the author proposes five integrated pathways: expanding variable renewable energy, implementing clean firm supply, enhancing interprovincial transmission, increasing demand flexibility, and deploying energy storage. While wind and solar are now the lowest-cost energy sources, their integration requires complementary resources to manage intermittency and seasonal variation, particularly in Canada's high-latitude environment.
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Document type: Research paper
Technical Background – Part I
The document details a technical framework for climate impact assessments in British Columbia, focusing on the selection of General Circulation Models (GCMs) and the quantification of heat-related health and labour risks. It establishes a process for downscaling climate data to 111 population centres and applies exposure-response functions to estimate unexpected deaths, hospitalisations, and lost labour hours. The text also outlines several proactive adaptation scenarios—including increased air conditioning adoption, window shading, urban planning, and shifted work hours—and the economic metrics used to conduct cost-benefit analyses for these interventions.
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Document type: Research paper
CLOSING CANADA’S ADAPTATION GAP
The document identifies a 'national adaptation gap' in Canada, characterized by fragmented governance, insufficient funding, and a lack of clear goals. It proposes that the forthcoming National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) should prioritize risks, implement a two-stage policy approach (immediate federal actions followed by a comprehensive national plan by 2024), clarify inter-jurisdictional roles, and establish a transparent monitoring and evaluation framework.
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Document type: Research paper