Prince Edward Island and pollution pricing

Protecting the environment and growing the economy go together. In 2016, the federal government worked with provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples on Canada’s first comprehensive climate action plan, which includes a stringent, fair, and efficient price on carbon pollution.

As part of Canada’s plan, provinces and territories had the flexibility to maintain or develop a carbon pollution pricing system that works for their circumstances, provided it meets the federal standard.

Prince Edward Island’s planned approach, a carbon charge on fossil fuels and a request for the federal backstop on large industry, is on track to meet the federal benchmark stringency requirements.

Please contact the Province of Prince Edward Island for additional details and information on its planned carbon pollution pricing system and programs.

Federal system highlights

The federal carbon-pollution pricing system will be implemented, in part, in Prince Edward Island, under the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act with the following features:

• For larger industrial facilities, an output-based pricing system for emissions-intensive trade-exposed (EITE) industries will start applying in January 2019. This will cover facilities emitting 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year or more, with the ability for smaller EITE facilities that emit 10,000 tonnes of CO2e per year or more to voluntarily opt-in to the system over time.

Canada’s clean-growth investments in Prince Edward Island

The Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund is reducing emissions and creating opportunities in Prince Edward Island by providing nearly $35 million to support projects that

• Provide homeowners with various incentives to increase energy efficiencies in their homes, as well as incentives for improving efficiency in low-income housing and businesses, making life more affordable for everyone.
• Help farmers reduce pollution and increase the efficiency of their operations.
• Plant trees, which help keep the air clean and absorb carbon.

Since 2016, the Government of Canada has allocated almost $28 million for investments in public transit. Investing in Charlottetown’s T3 Transit bus upgrades is one way we’re working to make sure that public transit is available for all and that people can get where they need to go, quickly and safely, while reducing pollution. It’s part of the Government’s Investing in Canada Plan.

In addition, the Government of Canada has allocated over $228 million for investments in green infrastructure in Prince Edward Island, for projects that reduce emissions, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, or provide additional environmental benefits such as clean air and clean water. The governments of Prince Edward Island and Canada are working together to fund priority projects that will help reduce pollution and grow the economy.

Investing in new technologies is also critical to Canada’s economic and environmental plan. The Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program provided bulk harvest tanks that help trucks carry more oysters to the processing plant, getting the mollusks to market faster and reducing the number of highway trips. This program cuts costs for businesses and reduces pollution, helping improve the air people breath.

To protect Canadians from the impacts of climate change, Canada is collaborating with Prince Edward Island and other Atlantic provinces to create a regional climate-expert organization to jointly deliver climate services with the Government of Canada’s Canadian Centre for Climate Services. Additional adaptation programs will help Prince Edward Island deal with rising sea levels and support the development of emergency management plans for severe weather, increasing the safety of Islanders.