Federal Reports Provide Information to Canadians and Show Modest Progress on Pollution

OTTAWA - June 30, 2000 - Environment Minister David Anderson today released two reports which provide Canadians with information on how Governments and all sectors of society are making progress to reduce pollutant releases to the environment. The 1998 National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) National Overview shows that pollutant releases were down compared to 1997 and that more substances are being recycled than are being released into our air, water and on land. The Progress in Pollution Prevention Report 1998-1999 also shows steady improvements being made by all levels of Government, the private sector, individual Canadians and the international community.

"I believe that we must provide credible environmental information to Canadians so they can make well-informed choices " said Minister Anderson. "Governments alone cannot address all environmental issues, we need to work with citizens and industry to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment and a stronger economy".

The 1998 NPRI National Overview contains data on 176 substances released from more than 2000 facilities across the country. In 1998 releases totaled 160,166 tonnes, a decrease of more than 1,427 tonnes from 1997. Transfers off-site for disposal were 88,489 tonnes, a decrease of 9,610 tonnes, thus reversing the upward trend in transfers of the last few years. The report shows that 258,876 tonnes of NPRI substances were sent for recycling or energy recovery. This year marks the sixth annual NPRI report.

Strengthened under the new Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the NPRI is at the core of Environment Canada's effort to inform Canadians about environmental issues in their communities. The NPRI On-Line Query Site provides Canadians with the data on what is happening in their neighborhoods simply by typing in the first three characters of their postal code, or name of city or town.

"The trend line in pollution releases into the environment continues to go down," said Minister Anderson. "As well, the report clearly shows that more substances were sent to recycling and energy recovery than were released into the environment. This is a positive sign for the environment and for the health of Canadians. It also marks a positive shift for industries that are reducing and recycling their wastes rather than releasing them directly to the environment. I encourage industry to continue working with governments to reduce and prevent the releases of NPRI substances into the air, land and water."

The NPRI continues to evolve and expand, making it a useful tool for government, industry, individuals and community groups to track progress and identify priorities for action. The number of substances tracked by the NPRI is steadily increasing, from 176 in 1997 to 268 pollutants in 2000. Companies owned or operated in Canada are legally obligated to report each year to the NPRI under the provisions of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

Pollution Prevention is the cornerstone of the new Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA, '99). The Government of Canada is encouraging companies to adopt pollution prevention as the priority approach to environmental protection. The 4^th annual Progress in Pollution Prevention report highlights pollution prevention initiatives which took place across all sectors of society between April 1998 and March 1999.

For more information on the new CEPA Environmental Registry, an on-line database that includes a wide range of information about the Act, please visit http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/Default.cfm.

Related documents:

• The 1998 NPRI Report [backgrounder, 2000-06-30]
• The National Pollutant Release Inventory [backgrounder, 2000-06-30]
• Progress in Pollution Prevention [backgrounder, 2000-06-30]
• Progress in Pollution Prevention Report 1998-1999
  [report, 2000-05-09]
• National Pollutant Release Inventory Website
  [information collection]
• NPRI On-Line Query Site [database]
• CEPA Environmental Registry [information collection]