ecoFreight - Meeting the challenge of sustaining a clean, healthy transportation system

February 15, 2007

Canada's thriving economy relies heavily on its transportation system to move people and goods quickly and efficiently. But transportation is also one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases and air pollution in Canada--key factors that affect the health of Canadians and our planet.

As part of its environmental agenda, Canada's New Government is launching the ecoTransport Strategy. Complemented by existing regulatory actions, this program features ecoFreight--a new step to reduce the environmental and health effects of freight transportation.

Federal investment in this up to $61-million program consists of six initiatives aimed at:

1. Removing regulatory barriers so that the Canadian trucking industry can embrace emissions-reducing technologies by collaborating with provinces and territories;
2. Reducing fuel use and emissions in commercial and institutional fleets via training, sharing of best practices, anti-idling campaigns, technical analysis to look for potential improvements and other technological opportunities;
3. Establishing a Freight Technology Demonstration Fund to test and measure new and underused freight transportation technologies in real-world conditions;
4. Providing cost-shared funding to companies and non-profit associations in freight transportation to help them to adopt proven emission-reducing technologies;
5. Building and maintaining partnerships within the transportation sector to reduce emissions from freight transportation through fast and flexible voluntary actions that can support the regulatory framework; and
6. Demonstrating the potential of shore-based power for marine vessels in Canadian ports to reduce air pollution from idling ship engines in some of Canada's largest urban centres.

The ecoFreight program builds on the major-infrastructure investments that Canada's New Government announced in Budget 2006, and other measures, such as regulating emissions from rail and marine transportation and fuel consumption of new light duty vehicles, announced in the fall. These measures are part of Canada's New Government's ambitious and realistic agenda to protect the health of Canadians and the environment in Canada and demonstrate that Canada's New Government understands the importance of addressing climate change.

Want to know more about the Government of Canada's environmental agenda and the ecoFreight Program? Visit us online at www.tc.gc.ca/ecoTransport.