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Canada’s Oil and Gas Sector: The Road to Net Zero and Regional Fairness
The Canadian Climate Institute proposes a four-part policy framework to decarbonize Canada's oil and gas sector while addressing regional fairness. The sector is identified as Canada's largest and fastest-growing source of emissions, contributing 189 Mt of greenhouse gases in 2021 (28% of the national total). To balance climate targets with economic stability, the report recommends stringent methane regulations, targeted public support for carbon capture and storage (CCS), a sector-specific emissions cap, and a government-backed transition investment taxonomy. This approach aims to ensure that oil and gas-producing regions contribute their fair share of reductions while protecting the trade balance and mitigating the risk of stranded assets as global demand for fossil fuels declines.
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Document type: Report
Unlocking lower-cost heating and cooling in Canada
The report finds that heat pumps are the lowest-cost heating and cooling option for most Canadian households over the system's lifetime, though adoption is hindered by high upfront costs, information gaps, and structural barriers for renters. It recommends streamlining rebates, establishing one-stop shop services, and updating building codes to include cooling requirements.
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Document type: Report
Chauffer et climatiser à faibles coûts au Canada
The report finds that heat pumps are the most economical heating and cooling option for the majority of Canadian households over their system life cycle, particularly in cities like Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax. Despite this economic advantage, adoption remains low due to behavioral, economic, and structural barriers, including high initial costs, lack of consumer confidence, and complex government rebate programs. The document argues that heat pumps are critical for both decarbonizing residential buildings and increasing resilience against extreme heat, which has caused significant mortality in regions like British Columbia. It recommends that governments maintain financial supports, simplify application processes through 'one-stop shops', implement indoor maximum temperature limits in building codes, and mandate high-efficiency, non-polluting systems in new constructions where electrically-powered heating is most cost-effective.
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Document type: Report
Relinquishment of Closed Mine Sites: Policy steps for governments
The report defines relinquishment as the legal transfer of responsibility for a closed mine site from the operator to the next landowner after closure commitments are fulfilled. It identifies a global gap in clear relinquishment policies, noting that many jurisdictions either lack such frameworks or have processes that are difficult to achieve due to government risk aversion. The document highlights successful models in Saskatchewan, Queensland, and Chile, and proposes a six-step policy framework: requiring comprehensive closure plans, conducting independent inspections, establishing residual risk management plans, creating funding mechanisms, executing legal transfers, and implementing long-term monitoring.
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Document type: Report
Restitución de Sitios de Minas Cerradas: Pasos de medidas políticas para los gobiernos
The report defines restitution as the legal transfer of responsibility for a mine site from the operator to a new owner after closure activities are completed and approved. It argues that current global practices are often insufficient, leading to indefinitely managed sites or abandoned mines. The document outlines six recommended steps for governments: requiring comprehensive closure plans, conducting independent inspections, establishing residual risk management plans, creating funding mechanisms, executing legal transfers, and implementing long-term monitoring. It highlights successful models in Saskatchewan, Queensland, and Chile, while noting that risk aversion and lack of clear legal frameworks often hinder restitution in developed mining jurisdictions.
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Document type: Report
Renonciation de sites miniers fermés : Mesures politiques pour les gouvernements
The document defines mine relinquishment as the legal transfer of responsibility for a closed mine site once closure obligations are met. It argues that a lack of clear relinquishment policies leads to sites remaining indefinitely with operators or being abandoned. The report analyzes practices across 40+ jurisdictions, highlighting successful models in Saskatchewan, Queensland, and Chile. It proposes a six-step process: requiring comprehensive closure plans, conducting independent inspections, planning for residual risk management, establishing funding mechanisms, executing legal transfers, and implementing long-term monitoring.
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Document type: Report
Climate change more than doubled the likelihood of extreme fire weather conditions in eastern Canada
The research finds that human-induced climate change significantly increased the intensity and probability of extreme fire weather in eastern Canada in 2023, particularly in Québec, where the cumulative severity of the fire season was approximately 50% more intense and at least seven times more likely to occur.
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Document type: Research paper
Reducing methane emissions from B.C.’s oil and gas sector
The document argues that British Columbia's proposed methane regulations lag behind international best practices, particularly regarding timelines for existing facilities and the lack of a policy for compressor engine exhaust. The coalition recommends accelerating the target for near-zero methane emissions to 2030, implementing stricter standards for pneumatic devices, tanks, and compressor seals by 2025, and adopting a monthly instrument-based leak detection and repair (LDAR) regime.
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Document type: Statement
Subsidies for oil and gas emission reductions
The author argues that Canada's commitments to phase out fossil fuel subsidies conflict with growing public funding for emission reduction technologies like carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). To manage the risk of stranded assets and inefficient spending, the paper suggests a rigorous framework based on net-zero consistency, economic value relative to alternatives, community vulnerability, and the risk level of the policy tool used. It emphasizes that the burden of proof for public benefit should lie with the companies seeking support.
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Document type: Research paper
Subventions et réduction des émissions pétrogazières
The author argues that Canada's goal to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies may conflict with its plans to cap oil and gas emissions and maintain sustainable jobs. To resolve this, the document suggests a rigorous framework to ensure public funds are not wasted on assets that may become stranded due to declining global demand. The proposed framework evaluates project alignment with net-zero scenarios, comparative economic value against clean energy alternatives, impacts on worker and community vulnerability, and the matching of policy instruments to project risk levels.
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Document type: Research paper
Avertissement sérieux : préparer les régions du Canada à la chaleur extrême
The document highlights the growing threat of extreme heat in Canada, noting its severe health impacts and economic costs. It advocates for a combination of mechanical cooling, urban greening, updated labor standards, and improved early warning systems to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Statement
Heed the Heat Warning
The document highlights the dangers of extreme heat in Canada, noting that 619 people died during the 2021 B.C. heat wave, with 93% lacking functional home cooling. It advocates for a combination of mechanical cooling (heat pumps, air conditioners) and urban greening, noting that in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, these could reduce heat-related hospitalization costs by 30% by mid-century. The text also recommends implementing occupational heat standards, earlier public heat warnings, and flexible workplace schedules to protect workers and maintain productivity, citing that schedule adaptations in B.C. could save $4 million annually in GDP losses by the 2030s.
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Document type: Statement
La solution est communautaire
The document examines the impact of the 2021 heat wave on five First Nations in British Columbia, highlighting how colonial housing policies increased vulnerability while community solidarity and traditional knowledge provided critical protection. It details specific regional impacts—from urban challenges in the Tsleil-Waututh Nation to the infrastructure dependencies of the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk Nation)—and argues for resilience planning rooted in Indigenous rights and localized data.
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Document type: Case study
2021 extreme heat emergency experience british columbia first nations
The document examines the 2021 extreme heat emergency's impact on five First Nations in British Columbia, categorised as urban (Tsleil-Waututh), rural (Kanaka Bar, Adams Lake, and Líl̓wat), and remote (Haíɫzaqv). It highlights how colonial housing policies created systemic vulnerabilities, while Indigenous kinship and cultural values provided protective resilience. Key findings include the severe disruption of food sovereignty, the failure of traditional water-based cooling due to rising temperatures, and the success of fuel-switching to heat pumps in remote areas. The report argues for trauma-informed, site-specific heat planning that moves beyond hazard-specific silos and integrates Indigenous knowledge.
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Document type: Case study
Les dommages climatiques font grimper le coût de la vie pour tous les Canadiens
The document highlights the rising economic burden of climate-driven disasters in Canada, noting that insured losses from 2010 to 2019 exceeded $18 billion. It asserts that climate change adds an average annual cost of $700 per household through higher grocery prices, insurance premiums, and taxes. The author calls for increased public investment in adaptation, citing that every dollar spent on adaptation yields $13 to $15 in economic returns and that climate-resilient road materials could save up to $5 billion nationally over coming decades.
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Document type: Statement
Climate damages inflating costs of living for every Canadian
Climate change is increasing the average Canadian household's annual cost of living by $700 through higher grocery prices, insurance premiums, and taxes. Between 2010 and 2019, insured losses for catastrophic weather events exceeded $18 billion, with the frequency of such events tripling since the 1980s. The author contends that while Canada's National Adaptation Strategy is a start, the country lags behind peer nations in adaptation funding despite a high return on investment, where every dollar spent generates $13-$15 in economic returns. Specifically, using climate-resilient road materials could save up to $5 billion nationally over several decades by reducing damage costs by up to 98 per cent.
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Document type: Statement
Arguments en faveur d’une adaptation aux chaleurs extrêmes
The June 2021 heatwave in British Columbia was the deadliest disaster in the province's history, resulting in 619 heat-related deaths. The report estimates the economic value of these lost lives at 5.5 billion CAD using the value of a statistical life. Key vulnerabilities identified include a lack of mechanical cooling in residential and public buildings, inadequate urban canopy, and institutional failures in emergency coordination and early warning systems. Economic impacts extended to agriculture, where producers lost at least 25 million CAD in revenue, and the labor market, with significant productivity losses. Future projections suggest that without adaptation, heat-related hospitalizations could reach 6,000 per year by 2030, and annual heat-related deaths could average 1,370 by 2030. The report recommends prioritizing mechanical cooling, urban greening, updating building codes, and improving the precision and lead time of weather warnings to three days.
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Document type: Report
ÉLECTRICITÉ PROPRE, ÉNERGIE ABORDABLE
The report argues that federal investments in clean electricity will lower overall energy expenses for Canadians by 2050, despite modest increases in electricity rates, provided that provinces implement targeted affordability measures for low-income households.
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Document type: Report
The case for adapting to extreme heat
The June 2021 heat wave in British Columbia was the deadliest disaster in the province's history, resulting in 619 direct heat-related deaths. The report estimates the societal cost of these lives lost at $5.5 billion using the Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) metric. Beyond mortality, the event caused $12 million in healthcare costs, significant agricultural revenue losses (at least $25 million), and disruptions to electricity and transportation infrastructure. Vulnerabilities were exacerbated by a lack of mechanical cooling in homes, inadequate urban greening, and institutional failures in disaster response and communication. The report argues that without adaptation, heat-related hospitalizations could double by 2030 and annual deaths could average 1,370 by 2030. Key recommendations include updating building codes for mechanical cooling, increasing urban forest canopies, improving weather warning lead times to three days, and implementing independent public reviews of disaster responses.
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Document type: Report
Summary of the 2022 IISD Forum on Natural Infrastructure Performance and Metrics
The document details the proceedings of the 2022 IISD Forum on Natural Infrastructure Performance and Metrics, focusing on the Canadian Prairies. It argues that while natural infrastructure (NI) is essential for water management, a lack of standardized metrics and economic valuation tools hinders its large-scale adoption. The report outlines a framework for scaling NI through improved data sharing, regional watershed-scale planning, the integration of Indigenous knowledge via 'Two-Eyed Seeing', and the use of economic valuation tools like SAVi to engage municipal decision-makers.
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Document type: Report