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The document outlines Manitoba's current emissions profile, the shortcomings of its previous 'Beyond Kyoto' plan, and the goals for a new integrated approach to climate mitigation and adaptation. It emphasizes the role of the energy and building sectors in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing resilience to extreme weather. The paper also reviews climate policies in other Canadian jurisdictions and proposes guiding principles for the new provincial strategy, including the development of mandatory GHG reporting for large emitters.

The report synthesizes the results of applying the ADAPTool in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia. It examines 27 policies across agriculture, forestry, water, and parks management to determine their ability to support adaptation measures and their general adaptability to future changes.

The report details a pilot study using the ADAPTool to assess the adaptability of three Nova Scotia Environment programs. The analysis found strengths in stakeholder consultation and networking, but identified weaknesses in the formalization of review processes and decentralization, as well as a need for greater diversity in economic and institutional policies to support diverse adaptation stakeholders.

The document reports a significant decline in federal political will to regulate carbon emissions in Canada during 2013, specifically noting the delay of oil and gas regulations. In contrast, provinces took leading roles: Ontario phased out coal-fired electricity, Quebec launched a cap-and-trade system linked to California, and British Columbia maintained its carbon tax. The brief highlights the 'Keystone effect,' where U.S. market access for the Keystone XL pipeline became linked to Canada's GHG performance. It concludes that federal 'equivalency' agreements—intended to align provincial and federal standards—have stalled due to complexity and lack of political will, recommending that Canada embrace a bottom-up approach to subnational policy alignment.

The report evaluates the capacity of provincial policies in Canada to support climate adaptation and their own inherent flexibility to change. Using the ADAPTool, it analyzes policies across agriculture, forestry, and water sectors, finding that while many policies support information sharing and decentralized decision-making, they often lack direct support for critical adaptation actions and formal review mechanisms.

The document discusses the shift toward regulatory-based climate policies in both Canada and the U.S., emphasizing the need for 'equivalency' in measuring carbon reductions across different provincial and state systems. It analyzes the economic impact of proposed Canadian oil and gas regulations, noting that a 40/40 target (40% reduction with a $40 price ceiling) would cost significantly more than a 20/20 target. Finally, it suggests Canada is unlikely to meet its 17% emissions reduction target for 2020 due to delayed oil and gas regulations and increasing energy sector emissions.

The document argues that Ontario should implement a unified carbon-pricing scheme, specifically a cap-and-trade system, to preempt federal sector-by-sector regulations and ensure cost-effective mitigation. Using economic modelling, the authors suggest that full compliance flexibility—including offsets and potential linking with the Western Climate Initiative (WCI)—could reduce compliance costs to below $15 per tonne by 2020. The brief cautions against overcompensating firms through free permit allocations, particularly in the electricity sector, to avoid windfall profits, and suggests a 25,000 tonne coverage threshold to align with California and Quebec systems.

The document explains that global sea level has risen approximately eight inches since the Industrial Revolution, driven primarily by thermal expansion and the melting of land ice due to global warming. It highlights that the U.S. East and Gulf coasts are experiencing some of the world's fastest rates of rise. Projections for 2100 range from 8 inches to 6.6 feet, with significant risks of permanent inundation, amplified storm surges, and shoreline erosion for over 100 million Americans living in coastal counties. The report argues that while adaptation is necessary, reducing heat-trapping emissions is the most effective way to limit the pace and magnitude of future sea level rise.

The report examines the health and economic impacts of Alberta's heavy reliance on coal-fired electricity, which generated 64 per cent of the province's electricity in 2012. Using the Illness Cost of Air Pollution (ICAP) model and other data, the authors estimate that coal plants contribute to hundreds of premature deaths and thousands of emergency department visits annually. The report identifies a wide range of pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, mercury, and particulate matter, which affect respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological health. Economically, the report argues that the true societal cost of coal—including health damages and the social cost of carbon—ranges from 3.6 to 13.7 ¢/kWh, far exceeding the market pool price of 6.6 ¢/kWh. The authors conclude that the current system effectively subsidizes coal power at the expense of public health and recommend that Alberta accelerate the retirement of coal units beyond the 50-year limit allowed by federal regulations.

The document analyzes Canada's 2012 carbon policy transition, marked by the official withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of federal sector-based regulations for transport and coal-fired electricity. It highlights a growing trend toward 'equivalency agreements' where the federal government defers to provincial policies, potentially leading to a fragmented national landscape. The report also notes provincial initiatives, such as Quebec's cap-and-trade linkage with California and Ontario's coal phase-out, while recommending greater compliance flexibility and a clearer federal policy vision to reduce costs and meet 2020 targets.

The analysis evaluates three Nova Scotia policies—guides for surface and groundwater withdrawal and a plan for parks and protected areas—against 31 identified adaptation actions. While the policies support 24 of these actions and perform well in stakeholder consultation and networking, they struggle with formal review processes, decentralization consistency, and addressing the need for economic and technological resources. The report recommends formalizing informal review and consultation practices and diversifying policy instruments beyond regulatory tools to better support stakeholder adaptive capacity.

The document analyzes the divergent paths taken by Canada and Australia to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. While Australia implemented a unified national carbon pricing system (transitioning from a carbon tax to cap-and-trade), Canada adopted a decentralized, sector-by-sector regulatory approach utilizing provincial equivalency agreements. The authors argue that Canada's fragmented system is likely to result in higher regulatory costs for emitters compared to Australia's streamlined national approach, although the actual emission reductions of both schemes remain uncertain.

The document identifies five key realms for renewable energy policy: direct purchase mandates, improving the business case through financial incentives, removing non-price barriers, supporting research and development, and addressing grid intermittency. It recommends that Japan maintain its generous feed-in tariffs, expand demand response, and unbundle transmission from generation to increase competition. The report provides detailed international case studies from the US, Germany, and other nations to illustrate effective mechanisms such as Green Banks, loan guarantees, and carbon taxes.

The document evaluates the British Columbia carbon tax as an effective model for low-carbon development that has reduced emissions without hindering economic growth. It compares BC's approach with other Canadian provincial and federal strategies, highlighting a closing gap in carbon pricing across the country. The briefing identifies key risks to future success, including the expansion of the natural gas sector and the lack of carbon pricing in the United States. IISD recommends retaining the tax and considering integrated mitigation and adaptation strategies.

The brief uses the Canadian Integrated Modelling System (CIMS) to evaluate proposed regulations requiring new or modified coal plants to meet a performance standard of 375 g CO2e/kWh. The analysis projects that these regulations would reduce electricity sector emissions by 5 million tonnes (Mt) in 2020 and 20 Mt by 2030, with an average cost of $26 per tonne of GHG reduced. The findings indicate that coal generation would be primarily displaced by natural gas turbines, which are expected to account for 77-78% of the replacement, while carbon capture and storage (CCS) and renewables would play smaller roles.

The report examines IWRM initiatives in the Okanagan Basin (BC), Lower Souris River Watershed (SK), Yamaska Watershed (QC), and Souris River Watershed (PEI). It finds that while federal financial support for beneficial management practices (BMPs) is critical, there is a systemic disconnect between high-level watershed planning and on-farm implementation. Key drivers for farmer participation include financial incentives, a local 'sense of place,' and the availability of on-farm extension support. Barriers include complex bureaucracy, fear of regulation, and declining federal technical services. The report recommends a 'nested' approach to watershed management and a shift toward providing core operational funding for local watershed organizations to professionalize IWRM capacity.

The report examines the division of water management responsibilities between Canada's federal and provincial governments, highlighting significant gaps in monitoring, pollution control, and drinking water safety. It argues that the federal government should leverage its 'peace, order and good government' (POGG) power to provide national leadership, particularly in the face of climate change and the need for consistent water quality standards.

The report details a two-day workshop in January 2010 where stakeholders used participatory scenario development (PSD) to explore three future trajectories for the Bras d’Or ecosystem to the year 2060. The process identified critical climate impacts—primarily sea-level rise, increased storminess, and heavy rainfall—and proposed adaptation strategies centered on integrated land-use planning, shoreline retreat, and capacity building. The findings emphasize that a 'best case' scenario involving integrated governance and a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) designation provides the highest resilience against projected climate changes.

The document examines Canada's position as a major energy producer and the risks associated with its fragmented, province-led energy approach. It highlights the tension between Canada's traditional energy exports—particularly oil sands—and the global shift toward clean energy. The authors argue that a national strategy is essential to meet climate goals, protect trade interests (especially with the U.S.), and establish global leadership in technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS). It also assesses the current 'patchwork' of international energy governance, including the roles of the IEA, IRENA, and trade agreements like NAFTA.

The report examines the integration of agricultural practices into Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) frameworks across Canada and internationally. It identifies the watershed as the appropriate planning unit and highlights the critical role of private agricultural landowners in achieving environmental sustainability. Through an inventory of provincial initiatives and global case studies, the document analyzes the social, economic, and technical drivers of success, emphasizing the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration, long-term monitoring, and financial incentives for beneficial management practices (BMPs). It concludes with recommendations for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to coordinate federal efforts and increase support for watershed-scale agricultural sustainability.