B.C. makes industrial polluters pay, while Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick lagNew Pembina Institute report compares federal and provincial heavy emitter carbon pricing systems Nov. 9, 2019 OTTAWA — Of the four provinces — British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick — that designed their own carbon pricing system for large industrial emitters, only British Columbia’s system meets the minimum requirements set by the federal government, according to new analysis from the Pembina Institute. The report, Carbon Emissions: Who makes big polluters pay , examined the carbon pricing systems for heavy emitters from four provinces and the federal government to determine if they meet the two fundamental objectives of a pricing system for heavy emitters: to effectively reduce emissions and drive innovation; and address competitiveness concerns without limiting the effectiveness of the policy to reduce emissions. The report concludes that the federal government’s system sets a strong benchmark, while Alberta’s recently proposed system is weaker than the system it is replacing. Ontario and New Brunswick are even more lenient and miss opportunities to grow the economy while reducing emissions. The report also examined the systems’ treatments of the electricity system, as a clean grid is key to decarbonizing the […]
