Canada's Pollution Problem: A Comprehensive Overview

Canada is responsible for less than two per cent of global greenhouse emissions, but that doesn't mean the country is pollution-free. Alberta is Canada's top polluting province, with 42 of the country's top 100 emitters. The Great Lakes, the world's biggest bodies of fresh water, are also affected by pollution from Canada and the United States. The average annual cost of managing contaminated sites under federal jurisdiction was $283 million between 2005/06 and 2014/15.

Alberta's fossil fuel industry

Alberta is by far Canada’s top polluting province, with 42 of the country’s top 100 emitters. The sites are responsible for roughly 119 MT of greenhouse gases, most of them related to the province’s fossil fuel industry. Seven of the top 10 emitters are in Alberta, five of which are clustered in Fort McMurray’s oilpatch region. The largest oilsands operation is Syncrude, a joint venture between Suncor Energy, Imperial Oil, Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership, and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation.

Alberta's emissions have been rising roughly 60 per cent over the past 30 years. Isabelle Turcotte, Pembina Institute’s director of federal policy, has said that oilsands companies that are committing to net-zero should have those plans scrutinized.

The Alberta oil sands' impact could reach as far as the Great Lakes, the world's biggest bodies of fresh water. According to Derek Stack, executive director of Great Lakes United, "High pollution levels in the Great Lakes basin continue to take an apparent toll on the air and water quality of the ecosystem." In 2002, it was reported that the Great Lakes basin was home to 45% of all toxic air pollution in Canada, in turn affecting the Great Lakes' water.

While Canada emits less than two per cent of global greenhouse emissions, this is not a valid argument against implementing robust climate policies that will reduce emissions. Canada’s climate action matters on a global scale.

The Great Lakes

Canada emits less than two per cent of global greenhouse emissions. However, this is not a valid argument against implementing robust climate policies that will reduce emissions. Canada’s climate action matters on a global scale.

Alberta is Canada's top polluting province, with 42 of the country's top 100 emitters. Seven of the top 10 emitters are in Alberta, with five clustered in Fort McMurray’s oilpatch region. The largest oilsands operation is Syncrude, a joint venture between Suncor Energy, Imperial Oil, Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership, and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation. With Alberta’s emissions rising roughly 60 per cent over the past 30 years, oilsands companies that are committing to net-zero should have those plans scrutinized.

Saskatchewan is the third-heaviest polluter, with 13 sites responsible for 13% of emissions from the top 100 across the country. Seven of those sites are power plants that run on coal or gas, five owned by the provincial government. The province is also home to the only co-operative in the top 100 emitters, the Co-op Refinery in Regina.

Quebec had 12 sites in the top 100, responsible for about 11 MT of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, or a little over five per cent of the total on the list.

Saskatchewan's power plants

Canada emits less than two per cent of global greenhouse emissions, but this is not an argument against implementing robust climate policies. Alberta is Canada's top polluting province, with 42 of the country's top 100 emitters. Saskatchewan is the third-heaviest polluter, with 13 sites responsible for 13 per cent of emissions from the top 100 across the country. Seven of those sites are power plants that run on coal or gas, five owned by the provincial government.

Saskatchewan Power Corporation, operating as SaskPower, is the principal electric utility in Saskatchewan, Canada. Established in 1929 by the provincial government, it serves more than 550,000 customers and manages nearly $13 billion in assets. SaskPower was founded as the Saskatchewan Power Commission in 1929, becoming the Saskatchewan Power Corporation in 1949 with the passage of The Rural Electrification Act. The abbreviated name SaskPower was officially adopted as a trade name in 1987.

Saskatchewan is a province that has traditionally been powered by coal. As recently as 2005, SaskPower produced about two-thirds of its electricity from lignite coal. However, the province is making a concerted effort to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas-fired generation has grown steadily in the past several years, as the province got a head start on Canada’s 2018 mandate to phase out conventional coal-fired generation by 2030. Generation capacity from gas-fired power plants has increased more than 400% in Saskatchewan since 2005, according to government data. In 2024, the total installed capacity of generation was 5,355 MW with 39% from natural gas, 24% from coal, 21% from hydro, 11% from wind, and 5% from other sources such as solar and waste heat plants.

SaskPower's current energy plan is to reduce the utility’s emissions by 40% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. It plans to double its generation from renewables, adding wind, solar, and geothermal capacity. It is supporting those intermittent renewables with baseload natural gas-fired power, most recently with the 353-MW combined cycle Chinook Power Station that came online in November 2019. The plant, officially inaugurated in December 2019, is located near Swift Current, in southwest Saskatchewan, and is the utility’s 10th natural gas-fired power plant in the province. The Chinook Power Station is estimated to cost $680m and is anticipated to provide clean electricity to approximately 300,000 homes.

Quebec's greenhouse gas emissions

Canada emits less than two per cent of global greenhouse emissions, but there are still many reasons why the country should implement robust climate policies to reduce its emissions. Alberta is Canada's top polluting province, with 42 of the country's top 100 emitters. The province's emissions have risen by roughly 60 per cent over the past 30 years, and the oilsands operation Syncrude is the largest emitter by a long shot.

Quebec had 12 sites in the top 100 polluting sites in Canada, responsible for about 11 MT of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, or a little over five per cent of the total on the list. Quebec's emissions are climbing, putting its climate goals in doubt. By 2030, Quebec's emissions are supposed to be 37.5 per cent lower than they were in 1990, but they are currently only 2.7 per cent below 1990 levels. The province's emissions climbed by 1.5 per cent in 2019, the latest year for which figures are available.

Transportation, including personal vehicles and freight, accounted for 43 per cent of Quebec's emissions in 2019, the highest of any sector. Industrial emitters, by comparison, accounted for 29 per cent. The McInnis cement plant, which began production in 2017, is Quebec's biggest industrial emitter of greenhouse gases. The province wants to put 1.5 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030.

The Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks has kept an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity in Quebec up to date annually since 1990. The inventory is based on data collected from businesses and institutions, as well as from Statistics Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and several Quebec departments and agencies.

Contaminated sites

Canada has many contaminated sites that have been abandoned by those originally responsible for their contamination. The average annual cost of managing these sites under federal jurisdiction was $283 million between 2005/06 and 2014/15.

Alberta is Canada's top polluting province, with 42 of the country's top 100 emitters. These sites were responsible for roughly 119 MT of greenhouse gases, most of which are related to the province's fossil fuel industry. Seven of the top 10 emitters are in Alberta, with five clustered in Fort McMurray's oilpatch region. The largest oilsands operation is Syncrude, a joint venture between Suncor Energy, Imperial Oil, Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership, and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation.

Saskatchewan is the third-heaviest polluter, with 13 sites responsible for 13% of emissions from the top 100 across the country. Seven of these sites are power plants that run on coal or gas, with five owned by the provincial government. The province is also home to the only co-operative in the top 100 emitters, the Co-op Refinery in Regina. Quebec had 12 sites in the top 100, responsible for about 11 MT of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, or a little over five per cent of the total on the list.

The Great Lakes, the world's biggest bodies of fresh water, are also affected by pollution in Canada. In 2002, it was reported that the Great Lakes basin was home to 45% of all toxic air pollution in Canada, which in turn affected the Great Lakes' water.

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