Carbon Emissions Archives

Sustainability May 17, 2018

EllisDon unveils Ontario’s first net zero structure

Infrastructure companies are seeking new and innovative ways to develop while keeping the environment in mind. EllisDon is one internationally-known construction company that is set on reducing its carbon footprint.

Most recently, the company took on the impressive project to build the Mohawk College Net Zero Energy Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation. It is Ontario’s first institutional building of its kind while also the first project under EllisDon’s Carbon Impact Initiative.

McCullum Sather and B + H Architects joined forces with EllisDon to complete the project The “ Net Zero” facility essentially produces as much renewable energy as it consumes, which is fascinating seeing as infrastructure, and development usually result in energy consumption.

Linda Franklin, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario, spoke about the completion of the structure and its importance for future generations:

“EllisDon’s expertise is helping colleges implement significant measures to contribute to a green energy future for Ontario – everything from net zero buildings to improving energy efficiency in existing buildings to training the next generation of green energy workers. This will make a real and measurable difference in reducing carbon emission throughout Ontario.”

The design of the college is remarkable. The exterior looks like sleek and futuristic artwork, and the building utilizes many green energy elements. These include geothermal wells, a storm water harvesting system and an LED lighting system throughout. The structure also has a green and high-efficiency plumbing system, is 5 storeys high and can accommodate 4,500 students. Outfitted with a mechanical system installed to enhance ventilation, heating and cooling it also has an electrical system that optimizes lighting.

Terri Wills, CEO of the World Green Building Council, also shared in the excitement about this pilot project:

“We’re excited to witness one of the first pilot projects using CaGBC’s newly developed Zero Carbon Building Standard. Mohawk College incorporates energy harvesting and conservation technologies and is a giant leap in future proofing new buildings that are fit for purpose, offer climate resilience as well as an enhanced user experience. As the Paris Agreement has set the international challenge to reduce global emissions, green buildings, such as the Mohawk College, demonstrate that innovation and energy efficiency can work together without compromising design.”

EllisDon’s Carbon Impact Initiative not only targets net zero energy emissions, but also vows to track carbon emitted over the course of various projects and aims to introduce new clean technologies that can still result in effective structures for clientele

They are a leader in green building design and innovative ideas. Women’s Post salutes their initiative!

Sustainability December 8, 2016

Ontario is gearing up for groundbreaking cap and trade project

Ontario has been working hard to prepare for cap and trade, an environmental initiative that will put a cap on greenhouse emissions and help high polluters to lower their carbon levels.

The program will lower greenhouse gas emissions substantially and will help Ontario reach its climate goals to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, and up to 80 per cent by 2050. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has been ramping up in preparation of the ground-breaking environmental program in Ontario, with three officers of the legislature releasing detailed reports on the cap and trade program over the last few weeks. This included the Environmental Commissioner on Nov. 22, the Financial Accountability Officer on Nov. 23, and the Auditor General on Nov. 30. The Ontario government is clearly demonstrating transparency and public awareness of the many positive aspects that involve the cap and trade program.

On Nov. 16, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Glen Murray also met with Quebec Premier Philip Couillard and Matt Rodriquez, Secretary for Environmental Protection for California, at the 22^nd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakech, Morocco. The three leaders discussed their plan to link the cap and trade programs across international boundaries. Ontario plans to link the cap and trade program to Quebec and California by 2018, which will help the new green economy flourish with increased opportunities for competition. Nova Scotia recently announced it is planning to start a cap and trade program as well.

The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Dianne Saxe, mentioned the partnership in her report and commends its positive aspects: “The key purpose of linking is to reduce compliance costs for Ontario emitters. Linking reduces compliance costs in two main ways: Creating a bigger, more liquid market for allowances; and giving Ontario emitters access to lower cost allowances from other jurisdictions.”

Cap and trade is a a large undertaking for Ontario, but increasingly crucial in our climate-based economy. The program forces large polluters to cut down on greenhouse gases or contribute to provincial revenue through carbon credits. Alternatively, if a company lowers their emissions, they can make money by selling their extra credits. The program is expected to make $478 million in its first year, and will generate 1.8 to 1.9 billion in the following years until December 2020. The funds will be directed towards green initiatives such as solar power, energy conservation methods, and battery storage. Either way, both initiatives help the ‘green’ agenda because either a high polluter will help fund green projects or they will lower their carbon emissions.

Cap and trade program will be activated in January 2017.

The Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is leading the way on the climate change agenda, and it is exciting to imagine the significant impact that cap and trade will have on greenhouse emissions in the province.

Sustainability November 12, 2016

Is Ontario moving towards clean energy?

What is Ontario’s position on clean energy?

The province has been one of North America’s leaders in clean energy, but lately has been demonstrating that clean energy may be less important than saving a few quick dollars. It appears the province may be advocating for clean energy and climate change initiatives at the same time they are cutting budgets involving green incentives.

Ontario is now launching its third Long-term Energy Plan (LTEP), which will be released in 2017. The various regulations and laws in the Clean Energy Act (originally launched in 2009) is daunting to sort through. Alternatively, the Planning Ontario’s Energy Future lays out the current state of energy in the province today pretty clearly.

The Clean Energy act was closely followed by the LTEP in 2010, and was updated in 2013. The newest version of the LTEP is set to reassess clean energy goals set in The Climate Change Action Plan. Ontario promotes clean energy and when considering electricity, it is growing green. In the report, Ontario specifies that it has approximately 18,000 MW of wind, solar, bioenergy and hydroelectricity on-line or under contract. Ontario electricity production in 2015 consists of 58 per cent nuclear energy, 10 per cent natural gas, 23 per cent water, nine per cent solar/wind/bioenergy and no coal production as of 2014. Clean energy has increased in the last 10 years, but more work is left to be done.

Comparatively, clean fuel is moving much more slowly. Ontario residents use fuel for heating, transportation, electricity generation, and industrial production. It also provides energy for the production of plastics, fertilizers, and chemicals. Currently, natural gas is the leading fuel type at 36 per cent. Wood and biomass is at three per cent, which has only grown two per cent since 2006. Coal is also still used as one per cent of fuel, despite the fact that one of the most unsustainable energy sources and has since been abandoned as a source of electricity in the province.

This is significant because three quarters of homes are heated by natural gas, which is substantially cheaper than electricity. Though electricity is moving in a green direction, fuel distribution still remains as a central energy source. Ontario has set conservation targets for natural gas, but has yet to push Ontarians to move way from relying on this fossil fuel in their homes. It comes down to a question of building the infrastructure to provide renewable energy to homes effectively and efficiently. The infrastructure has been designed to carry natural gas into homes, and it is an expensive but necessary undertaking to move away from fossil fuels entirely.

Instead of tackling how to heat homes using renewable resources, Ontario decided to move in the opposite direction. The government recently decided to suspend the second round of Large Renewable Procurement, which is the green investment funding that supports large renewable energy contracts, which will apparently save taxpayers $3.8 billion in electricity system costs. This stops more renewable projects from going forward, but it will save residents $2.48 on their monthly energy bills. The initiative ultimately prevents more biomass producers from producing fuel, wind and solar from growing further, and keeps some of the less environmentally fuel sources in place.

Ontario has ambitious climate change goals to lower carbon emissions by 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 per cent by 2030 and 2050. Suspending important renewables contracts and pushing forward natural gas infrastructure is not a promotion of clean energy. Biofuels need to be used to heat homes. Overall, the province needs to pick a side and stick with it.

Public consultations are being held across the province and online throughout the months of October and November as Ontario reaches out the public to help build energy’s future.

Sustainability November 9, 2016

The environment is screwed with Donald Trump as president

If the environment wasn’t under imminent threat before, it most certainly is now that the United States elected Donald Trump as their newest president.

President, Donald Trump (I can’t believe that string of words in now a reality) has proposed to cancel President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, threatened to pull out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, and famously claimed in a tweet that climate change was a ‘Chinese Hoax’. Trump’s various claims do not bode well for the planet and its future.

So what does Trump’s presidential win mean for the environment? Essentially, it means that the planet is in peril.

Trump represents an American ideology that focuses solely on the economy at the expense of lowering carbon emissions. At a conference in Bismarck, North Dakota in May 2016, he supported oil fracking and also stated he would minimize the U.S commitments to the Paris Agreement. The U.S is currently the second largest producer of oil and Trump’s agenda to push fossil fuels even more will increase carbon emissions tenfold. He hinted that the failing oil economy can be resolved if the United States exploited the lands that have been previously considered off limits, including the Outer Continental Shelf. He also wants to push more production in the non-renewable energy sector. This would be a short-term solution and would harm the economy, not to mention the environment, in the long term. By over-flooding the energy sector with more oil through fracking, it would further lower the value per barrel of oil and would decimate even more land that is already threatened in the United States.

Trump has publicly stated several times that he would wipe Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which was a fruit of labour for the democratic president. Within the Clean Power Plan, the environmental protection agency (EPA) gave each state the power to decide for themselves how to lower carbon emissions in power plants by using renewables or nuclear energy instead of carbon pricing. States were supposed to submit plans by 2016-2018 and would start cutting emissions by 2022 at latest. The EPA estimated that the plan would lower power plant emissions by 32 per cent by 2030 as compared to rates in 2005. Trump has claimed he intends to cancel this plan and has vaguely threatened to get rid of the EPA all together. He has not recommended any alternative plans to lower carbon emissions.

The future of the environment in the United States looks dark, but there is hope. Strong environmental advocacy groups such as the Sierra Club, one of the largest environmental advocacy groups in the United States that has been fighting to protect the earth since 1892, are not going to give up.

But we are not licking our wounds, we are preparing for the fights to come.

— Sierra Club (@sierraclub) November 9, 2016

There are many other groups that are preparing to continue the fight for climate change despite this unwelcome change of leadership in the country.

Trump may surprise his citizens by not canceling environmental agreements, though I won’t be holding my breath. It is a historical and frightening time to be living in such close proximity to a country that has a leader who cares so little about climate change. We all breathe the same air and drink the same water. We can only hope he was serious about creating clean air and clean water (the only vague environmental commitments he has made), and is willing to see that climate change goals are inextricably linked to providing those very things.

Otherwise, Canada may want to start building that wall.

News October 5, 2016

Carbon tax angers provinces, but Prime Minister stands strong

Canada’s provinces are at an odds with the federal government after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a unilateral mandatory carbon tax that is set to be launched in 2018.

Anger has swept across the country as Trudeau takes decisive steps to enact a climate change plan that will meet Paris Conference targets to cut carbon emissions 30 per cent of levels from 2005. At the federal-provincial climate talks, the Prime Minister announced that Ottawa will impose a levy of a minimum of $10 per tonne of carbon emissions by 2018. That amount will go up $10 annually until 2022, where it will reach its maximum at $50 per tonne. Trudeau has also granted the provincial governments the opportunity to adopt their own cap and trade or carbon tax programs, as long as it meets the required targets. If the provinces don’t meet those standards, then the government will impose the minimum $10 carbon tax themselves.

But, not everyone is thrilled with the carbon tax. The provinces are irate, especially Saskatchewan and Alberta. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley reported she would only meet 2022 targets of $50 per tonne if the federal government allows the Kinder Morgan pipeline to be built. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has claimed the decision is a ‘betrayal’ on the part of the federal government to work openly with the provinces. Many westerners have claimed that Trudeau’s unilateral policy directly attacks Western Canada and is reminiscent of his late father, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s National Energy Plan.

On the other hand, the plan is being widely criticized by environmentalists for not being strict enough. Many groups feel that $50 a tonne of carbon would not be able to meet the 2030 Paris Conference targets. I guess there is something to be said of finding the middle ground — if no one is happy, it’s probably a good policy.

Trudeau will convene a first minister’s meeting on Dec. 8 to define the details of the climate plan, which will include the carbon tax.

Climate change is a reality and invoking mandatory laws around it is a step in the right direction. The provinces need to be pushed to implement carbon tax incentives and it is necessary for the federal government to make that decision firmly. Hopefully the other changes that will be discussed in the first minister’s meeting will provide even more climate change incentives and Canada can become a leader in ‘green’ change on the international stage.

If only the provinces would jump on board — an environmentally focused and united country could become a reality.

News May 20, 2016

Ontario’s cap and trade program is finalized

Ontario has finalized their cap and trade plan, which will place a carbon tax on high-polluting industries that are contributing to climate change. The climate change legislation was passed on Wednesday and emphasizes the importance of accountability and transparency when investing proceeds for the cap and trade into green businesses through the Greenhouse Reduction Account.

The cap and trade program is a part of the bigger Climate Change Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. By placing a “cap” on carbon emissions and allowing companies to sell off or “trade” unused credits for a profit, it will help limit and lower emissions in the province. Ontario joins Quebec and California, which have cap and trade programs in place already.

Ontario is expected to generate $1.8 to $1.9 billion per year to invest in environmental initiatives in the province through emission auctions. The cap and trade program is scheduled to take effect on July 1 2016. Regulations were determined on Wednesday, including greenhouse gas emission caps, compliance regulations, auction and sale of allowances and distribution of allowances.

The Chamber of Commerce urged Premier Kathleen Wynne to delay the cap and trade program for one year. Criticisms result from a lack of transparency as to where the proceeds of the cap and trade program are going. Many industry leaders that will be affected by cap and trade are reportedly confused about the regulations that will be put in place, though it appears they are more concerned about how they will be affected financially. The program is set to continue despite these trepidations.

On a positive note, Manitoba has joined the cap and trade plan with Ontario and Quebec, but will limit their program to the 20 largest polluters in the province. This will help balance industry competition and outsourcing to neighbouring provinces that aren’t forced to participate in cap and trade, which has become a relevant concern of the program.

Ontario will give a four-year exemption to industries that are especially vulnerable to cap and trade, including steel or cement manufacturing. Emission targets were also released in the report, indicating the exact allowances that will decrease annually to allow existing companies to adjust to the new program. In 2017, emission allowances are 142, 332,000 tonnes, which will decrease over four years to 124, 668,000 in 2020.

Though the cap and trade program will be a difficult adjustment initially for companies, it will soon become an integral part of doing business while taking the environment into consideration. This is an opportunity for green businesses to take the lead and for Ontario to set an example for the remaining provinces that cap and trade is the only way to make climate change protocol the foremost item on the agenda.

Toronto April 15, 2016

Cap and trade policy kicks off Green Living Show

Cap and trade is one of the hottest topics being discussed at economists’ lunch tables, and now they are inviting environmentalists to join in.

A panel discussion was held Friday to kickstart the Green Living Show with economists, professors and lawyers across different fields to help promote an open conversation about the changes to Ontario’s cap and trade policy. The discussion was hosted by Partners in Project Green, an environmental initiative funded by the Toronto Pearson Airport. This group gathers different organizations across sectors to discuss green business initiatives.

Cap and trade is a policy that places a tax on carbon emissions that exceed a certain amount. It is possible to buy and sell carbon credits, giving companies an economic incentive to develop energy saving technologies in the province. This policy will go into full effect in January 2017.

The discussion at the Green Living Show was led by keynote speaker, Christopher Ragan, who is Chair of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission and also a professor at McGill University in the department of Economics. Ragan discussed the challenges of implementing cap and trade in Ontario from an economist’s perspective, but he made sure to mention the potential of this initiative. Lowering greenhouse emissions is a world-wide necessity and the consensus was that cap and trade is the most cost-effective way to manage this problem.

Ragan sees the role of capitalism as pushing the new development of a clean energy model. He also spoke about the importance of working together in the wake of this economic shift to ensure that all industries and provinces can benefit from these changes.

The panel itself included Senior Fellow of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, Celine Bak, Managing Director of the Ivey School of Business, Paul Boothe and Professor of Sustainable Prosperity at the University of Ottawa, Stewart Elgie. These three voices provided the perspective of international business relations (Bak), economics (Boothe), and academia (Elgie).

Bak discussed how innovation on cap and trade will strengthen international relations and bring together larger and smaller innovators to increase productivity of new energy resources. Boothe, on the other hand, spoke about how carbon pricing will help promote electric vehicles. The automobile industry has taken a large hit in recent years and Boothe is hopeful the cap and trade policy will boost this sector by encouraging investment in newer green technologies. Elgie emphasized the importance of government intervention in the initial investments of greener technologies so that they could strengthen their profit in the first five years.

The Green Living Show brings innovators and vendors together that are invested in the future of green energy. Hundreds of people attended the event held at the Metro Convention Centre, which just goes to show that environmentalism is being taken seriously by stakeholders, politicians, and the public. I look forward to the changes that cap and trade will bring to the financial landscape of Ontario — I can only hope that it works just as well in practice as it does on paper.

News February 26, 2016

Cap and trade details released in 2016 budget

For all of the Ontarians that were muddled by the lack of information in the cap and trade proposal, many of those questions have been resolved in the 2016 Ontario budget.

The Ontario Liberal government has released specific details about the cap and trade program, which is set to begin in January 2017 under the new Climate Change Mitigation and Low Carbon Economy Act. The cap and trade program will enforce a “cap” on the amount of greenhouse gases that each company can produce. Companies will be able to then “trade” unused carbon credits by selling them to companies that exceed their “cap”.

This enables companies that use clean energy to create financial gains and penalizes companies that have high levels of carbon emissions. The cap and trade program is expected to raise $428 million in 2016-2017 and is then projected to raise up to $1.8 to $1.9 billion in 2017-2018. Cap and trade is one of the many initiatives the provincial government has enacted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent below 1990 emissions by 2050.

All of the proceeds from the cap and trade program will go to projects and funds in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Account, which will then support other green projects. The Ontario government has promised the money raised will be transparent, with results of the funds available for the public. Possible green projects include public transit, electric vehicle incentives, social housing retrofits including geothermal infrastructure, and clean-technology incentives for industries.

Ontario’s cap and trade program is mandatory for industries and institutions that emit 25,000 tonnes or more of greenhouse gases annually. It also includes suppliers and distributors of fuel that distribute 200 litres of fuel or more per annum. Companies that import electricity and fuels into Ontario would also be included in the cap and trade. The businesses mandatorily included within the program are representative of 83 per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions produced in the province.

Initially, Ontario will give free permits to industries that are especially vulnerable to the cap and trade program, including steel or cement manufacturing, to avoid “carbon leakage”, the feared result of companies leaving Ontario to go to other jurisdictions where the carbon cap wouldn’t apply.

Companies and organizations that produce over 25,000 tones of greenhouse gases due to it’s size — like university campuses, hospitals, and electricity generators — will have to purchase carbon permits, which is how the government will make substantial profit in the coming years. If these industries apply clean technologies, they will be able to then “trade” their extra credits and make money from carbon-emitting industries.

Free credits will also be provided on a one-time basis to industries that have voluntarily lowered emissions targets earlier then the January 2017 deadline. Companies with between 10,000 and 25,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases will also have the choice to participate in the cap and trade program, but won’t be forced to.

The “cap” is also set to decline annually to meet 2020 carbon emissions targets and will decrease at a rate of 4.17 per cent per year. A slow decrease in rates allows companies to invest in clean industries slowly and adjust to the new cap and trade program.

Many Ontarians are concerned about rising prices from the cap and trade program. Gas prices are set to increase 4.3 per cent per litre and natural gas costs for home heating will rise $5 per month. Though these increasing prices will put more financial pressures on the consumer, energy programs are being introduced to help mitigate the costs.

Recently, the government introduced an incentive of up to $14,000 to purchase an electric vehicle. Enbridge Gas Distrubtion and Union Gas are also offering programs to help homeowners reduce their electricity costs. An incentive ranging between $1000 and $2,500 is offered if a consumer replaces their furnace and water heating system to a more energy reductive alternative. Enbridge also offers a $75 incentive for an adaptive thermostat, which helps save on heating costs as well.

Living January 29, 2016

Should you look into an electric car? Yes!

Cutting down on carbon emissions is an important issue on Ontario’s environmental agenda, and electric vehicles are considered as a great long-term solution.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining popularity, with 5,400 EVs registered in Ontario to date, according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Though public transportation, biking, and walking are the most sustainable forms of travel, people who choose to drive are being offered a green alternative that has great perks.

The initial cost for an electric vehicle can be daunting, ranging from the Fortwo Electric Drive at $26,990 to the BMW i8 at $150,000. The top selling electric car in Canada is the Tesla Model S, which costs $107,000.

Fortunately, Ontario provides an incentive to help people purchase these pricey vehicles. Up to a $8,500 rebate is provided to customers that have a qualifiable EV. The MTO provides a list of battery electric cars and plug-in Hybrid cars that are applicable for the rebate on their website.

Furthermore, the province is providing up to $1000 in rebates for a home-powered charging stations. An approved EV motorist will also receive a green plate that allows them to travel in HOV lanes as an added bonus.

There are currently two types of EVs offered in Canada; battery electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric cars. Battery electric cars are powered 100 per cent by electricity. They have large battery packs that need to be charged at various charging stations. Plug-in hybrid electric cars are also charged by being plugged in but have smaller battery packs for shorter electric drives. A gas engine or generator will start to run on longer trips when the electric battery runs out.

Though EVs can be pricey initially, they are have great long-term cost savings because electricity is much cheaper than fuel. Emissions are relative to the specific EV that is purchased and Plug N’ Drive, a not-for-profit organization committed to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles, provides a cost comparison chart that shows how much carbon each vehicle would produce and what the equates to in dollar form. For example, the Tesla Model S creates 1.9 kg of carbon per 100 km, which costs $3.14. Comparatively, if the Tesla was a full gas vehicle, it would create 17.8 kg of carbon per 100 km and cost $9.86.

Electric cars also need less overall maintenance. “Electric cars use an electric motor, a durable technology with one moving part. In addition, electric cars don’t require oil changes, coolant flushes, mufflers or exhaust systems,” the Plug N’ Drive explains. “Bottom line… less money spent on maintenance means more money in your pocket.”

Currently, transportation is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the province. GHGs account for more carbon emissions than iron, steel, cement, and chemical industries combined.

Ontario is embracing the revolution of the electric car as a part of their new Green Investment Fund. Ever since the climate change conference in 2015, protecting the environment has become a priority for the country. The province has invested $20 million into building EV charging stations across Ontario.

“Ontario’s new Green Investment Fund offers exciting opportunities to revolutionize how we live, work, move and play as we fight climate change,” Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Glen R. Murray, said in a statement. “This initial investment is just the start of many more bold steps we’ll be taking to promote electric cars as a sustainable transportation choice and to reduce greenhouse gas pollution in other sectors.”