The Government of Canada stated this month that it is “taking bold action to strengthen communities by addressing the impacts of climate change.”
Canada’s federal administration says industrial carbon pricing is a “foundational element” of the government’s plan to protect the environment and build a competitive and sovereign economy.
In this vein, Canada recently announced a total of $150 million in investments across more than three dozen projects.
“Canada has everything it takes to be a leader in the low-carbon economy of the 21st century,” says Terry Duguid, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “At a time when we must strategically diversify our trade relationships, industrial carbon pricing is a key driver in protecting the international competitiveness of Canadian industries, enabling access to new export markets, creating good-paying jobs, and ensuring that major industrial polluters pay their fair share in clean technology investments across Canada.”
The funding hails from Canada’s Output-Based Pricing System Proceeds Fund and the Decarbonization Incentive Program.
“Canada is making significant investments that will not only strengthen our economy at a critical time but will also help protect our environment for future generations,” stated Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. “Through the Output-Based Pricing System Proceeds Fund, this federal government is empowering Canadian companies to innovate, adopt cutting-edge technologies, improve their competitiveness and productivity, and reduce pollution.”
The investments will support a range of initiatives, according to the government, such as replacing oil- and gas-fired boilers with electric ones, producing cleaner Canadian fibreglass, deploying carbon-management technologies, and enhancing the durability of galvanized steel sheets.
“Canada is on track for a more competitive, resilient, and sustainable future,” commented Anita Anand, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry. “By working in tandem with key sectors to deploy industrial carbon pricing, we are seizing the opportunity for Canada to lead the global transition to a low-carbon economy, strengthening our country today and in the future.”
One specific example is the University of Toronto garnering nearly $6M to replace a natural gas unit used to heat the St. George Campus with grid electricity, as well as replace gas-fired boilers with electric boilers.
“The University of Toronto is the world’s most sustainable university and is a global leader in transforming its infrastructure and operations to reduce carbon emissions,” posits Ron Saporta, Chief Operating Officer for the institution. “The Decarbonizing Incentive Program supports the modernization of the university’s district energy system, ensuring that the energy that powers advanced research is clean and sustainable for decades to come.”
Roseburg Forest Products will receive $18M to install new biomass furnaces and waste fibre and product handling systems equipment.
“A new heat plant currently in the planning stages at Roseburg Forest Product’s Pembroke facility would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by switching from natural gas to forest biomass to fuel manufacturing of our high-quality, medium-density fibreboard and engineered wood products,” remarked Alexandre Ouellette, who serves as Senior Director of Manufacturing for Roseburg.
To date, the Decarbonization Incentive Program has supported total investments of over $874 million in 53 clean energy projects.