New Reporting Requirements Enhance Canada's Capacity to Track and Report Progress on GHG Emissions

OTTAWA, March 12, 2004 – The Government of Canada has announced the start of mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by Canada’s major emitters. The announcement of the reporting requirements, set out in a Notice to be published March 13 in the Canada Gazette, follows close collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, as well as broad consultations with industry and other stakeholders.

“The Government made a strong commitment to sustainable development in the Speech from the Throne, and to incorporating key environmental indicators including emissions reduction into its decision making,” said the Honourable David Anderson, Minister of the Environment. “Accurate, credible, up-to-date information on GHG emissions is essential to making the right policy decisions for our economy and for our environment.”

In keeping with the desire expressed by stakeholders during consultations in 2003, the federal, provincial and territorial governments will continue to collaborate in developing a harmonized, “single-window”, domestic mandatory reporting system, and to implement it in orderly phases. This will help to ensure that a fully developed and tested system, that meets the reporting needs of all jurisdictions and the public, and minimizes burdens on both Canadian industry and governments alike, will be in place by the start of the first Kyoto Protocol commitment period between 2008 and 2012.

"A single GHG reporting system is important to taking effective action on climate change," said the Honourable R. John Efford, Minister of Natural Resources. "I congratulate our partners on our progress, and indeed the common goal of federal, provincial and territorial governments to work in partnership with one another, as well as with industry and other stakeholders."

Many of those affected by the new requirements already report their GHG emissions through mandatory or voluntary initiatives in a number of provinces. While Ontario already requires mandatory GHG reporting, and Alberta is expected to introduce a mandatory system soon, all jurisdictions will continue to collaborate in developing a single, harmonized, mandatory reporting system, and to implement this system in phases.

In this first phase, only facilities that emit more than 100 kilotonnes of GHGs per year are required to report. This would include major industrial facilities that produce electricity, heat or steam using fossil fuels certain power generation facilities, for example, as well as integrated steel mills, facilities involved in smelting and refining metals, petroleum refineries, and chemical producers.

“A comprehensive system to track and publish GHG emissions is a basic part of any long-term strategy to address climate change,” said Matthew Bramley, Director of Climate Change with the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development. “This is a good start, and we look forward to working with all stakeholders as the reporting system is expanded and refined in the future.”

"A single, harmonized federal, provincial and territorial reporting system is welcome news, and governments are to be congratulated for this." said Barry Lacombe, President of the Canadian Steel Producers Association. "Cost effective improvements in energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions go hand in hand. This reporting will help chart sustainable development progress and make an important contribution to key sustainable development information for governments and industry."

Reports will be submitted to Statistics Canada. The choice of Statistics Canada recognizes that it is a highly-reliable and cost-effective mechanism for reporting, with a long track record of positive working relations with industry, federal, provincial and territorial governments and non-governmental organizations.

Reports for 2004 emissions will be due on June 1, 2005. Stakeholders were advised in January 2003 that mandatory reporting would come into effect in 2004. Consultations on further development of a harmonized, “single-window”, mandatory GHG reporting system will continue through federal-provincial-territorial management, with input from industry and other stakeholders.

Related Document:

• First Phase of Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting [Backgrounder, 2004-03-12]

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