Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
Annual Report to Parliament for April 2019 to March 2020: chapter 4

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• 4. Reporting programs and emission inventories
  • 4.1 Reporting programs
  • 4.2 Emission and release inventories

4. Reporting programs and emission inventories

4.1 Reporting programs

There 2 mandatory reporting programs under CEPA, which require facilities to report on their releases or emissions of specified substances into the environment are:

• National Pollutant Release Inventory
• Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

Data for both programs is submitted through ECCC’s Single Window Information Management (SWIM) system. Further information on the SWIM system is available online.

National Pollutant Release Inventory Reporting

The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), Canada’s legislated, publicly accessible national inventory, collects information from Canadian industrial, commercial and institutional facilities on their releases (to air, water and land), disposals, and transfers of pollutants and other substances of concern. Since 1993, owners or operators of facilities that have met the NPRI reporting requirements have reported on an annual basis. NPRI data for the 2018 reporting year was submitted to ECCC by June 3, 2019 (see Emission and release inventories for reporting details). The publication of the 2018 data was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In February 2020, the department published updated NPRI reporting requirements that take effect for the 2020 reporting year, including a number of changes that will improve the information available through the NPRI.

The NPRI Multi-Stakeholder Work Group is the primary consultation mechanism for the NPRI program, with representatives from industry associations, environmental groups and Indigenous organizations providing input on changes to the requirements and other aspects of the program, such as tools to access the data. Consultations during 2019-2020 included a number of teleconferences and paper-based consultations, as well as a face-to-face meeting in June 2019. Consultations focused on proposed changes to the requirements for 2020 reporting, including changes to reporting of air pollutants to provide more information for air quality modelling and for the addition of certain substances such as PREPOD, BENPAT and azo disperse dyes.

In addition to the above-mentioned consultations, the NPRI program shares information and gathers ideas from stakeholders and the public. Activities include engaging users of NPRI data to get input on how to meet their needs; working collaboratively with other government programs and international organizations; and updating stakeholders regularly on the NPRI.

During 2019-2020, ECCC undertook a number of initiatives to better understand and respond to the needs of various users of NPRI data, including a survey and a workshop.

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

ECCC requires annual reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from facilities (mostly large industrial operations) through its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). The GHGRP is part of ECCC’s ongoing effort to develop, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, a nationally consistent, mandatory GHG reporting system, in order to meet the GHG reporting needs of all jurisdictions and to minimize the reporting burden for industry and government.

Key objectives of the GHGRP are to provide Canadians with consistent information on facility‑level GHG emissions, to support regulatory initiatives, and to support the National GHG Inventory. The data collected are also shared with provinces and territories.

In February 2020, a notice was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, requiring the reporting of GHG emissions for the 2019 calendar year. The 2019 reporting cycle continues the additional requirements introduced in the first 2 phases of the expansion implemented in 2017 and 2018. The expansion includes enhanced reporting and methodological requirements for 14 industry sectors as well as a drop in the reporting threshold (50 000 tonnes to 10 000 tonnes CO₂ equivalent). Information about the GHGRP is available online.

4.2 Emission and release inventories

ECCC compiles and maintains 5 inventories of substances released into the environment. These are the:

• National Pollutant Release Inventory
• Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory
• Black Carbon Emissions Inventory
• Facility Greenhouse Gas Emissions Overview
• National Greenhouse Gas Inventory

National Pollutant Release Inventory

NPRI information is a major starting point for identifying and monitoring sources of pollution in Canada, and in developing indicators for the quality of our air, land and water. The NPRI helps determine if regulatory or other action is necessary to ensure reductions, and if so, the form that action should take. Public access to the NPRI data through annual data highlights, an online data search tool, location-based data for use in mapping and downloadable datasets encourages industry to prevent and reduce pollutant releases, and improves public understanding about pollution and environmental performance in Canada.

In 2018, 7699 facilities (figure 10) reported to the NPRI a total of approximately 5 million tonnes of pollutants covering over 320 substances (figure 11):

• 2.8 million tonnes of pollutants were released directly to the environment
• 1.37 million tonnes were disposed to landfills, applied to land or injected underground, either on the facility site or off-site
• 377 606 tonnes were transferred off the facility site for treatment prior to final disposal or for recycling and energy recovery

Figure 10: location of facilities that reported to the NPRI for the 2018 reporting year

Figure 11: breakdown of total quantities reported in 2018, by reporting category

Between 2009 and 2018, releases to the environment reported to the NPRI decreased by 794 771 tonnes. In particular:

• releases to air decreased by 831 528 tonnes
• releases to water increased by 28 005 tonnes
• releases to land increased by 9 492 tonnes
• releases of substances (in other words, unspecified media) where the total release quantity was less than 1 tonne decreased by 740 tonnes

Between 2009 and 2018, total disposals and transfers increased by 46 495 tonnes. In particular:

• off-site disposals decreased by 412 419 tonnes
• on-site disposals decreased by 14 629 tonnes
• off-site transfers for recycling decreased by 33 606 tonnes
• disposals of waste rock (rock removed to reach ore) increased by 133 761 tonnes
• disposals of tailings (materials left when minerals are removed from ore) increased by 352 366 tonnes

Pollution prevention data submitted to the NPRI is analyzed and outlined in the NPRI annual highlights. Pollution prevention activity data submitted by facilities is also summarized on the “How Canadian companies are preventing pollution” webpage, which provides an overview and examples of the implementation of the 7 common pollution prevention techniques among Canadian facilities.

Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory

Canada’s Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory (APEI) is a comprehensive inventory of air pollutant emissions at the national, provincial and territorial level primarily developed using 2 types of information: 1) facility-reported data primarily from the NPRI and 2) in-house estimates, including diffuse sources and other sources that are too numerous to be accounted for individually. Since 1990, the APEI has compiled emissions of 17 air pollutants contributing to smog, acid rain and reduced air quality.

This inventory serves many purposes including fulfilling Canada’s international reporting obligations under the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) and the associated protocols ratified by Canada for the reduction of various types of emissions. These include sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), dioxins and furans (D/F), and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The APEI also supports monitoring and reporting obligations under the Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement, the development of air quality management strategies, policies and regulations, provides data for air quality forecasting models, and informs Canadians about pollutants that affect their health and the environment.

According to the APEI, 14 of the 17 reported air pollutants show decreases compared to historical levels (see figure 12). A few key sources of pollutants account for a significant portion of the downward trends in emissions (see table 20).

Despite significant decreases, emissions of some pollutants, including Pb and PM_2.5, have begun to rise again in recent years.

In addition, a 39% increase in total particulate matter (TPM) and 30% increase in PM₁₀ emissions since 1990 contrast with the general trends described above; these increases are largely due to increased transportation on unpaved roads as well as construction operations. Another exception to the general downward trends is the steady increase in emissions of ammonia (NH₃), which were 21% above 1990 levels in 2018; the recent upward trend in NH₃ emissions is driven by fertilizer application. Historically, animal production contributed to increasing emissions until 2005, but this emission source has since decreased. Rising fertilizer emissions and decreasing animal emissions have resulted in relatively stable emissions over the past 10 to 15 years.

Figure 12: emissions trends for selected air pollutants in Canada, 1990 to 2018

Inventory of black carbon emissions

As a member of the Arctic Council Canada has committed to producing an annual inventory of black carbon emissions. The associated report serves to inform Canadians about black carbon emissions and provide valuable information for the development of air quality management strategies.

The data used to quantify black carbon emissions are based on fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) emissions from combustion-related sources, such as transportation and mobile equipment and home firewood burning, taken from the Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory.

According to Canada’s 2020 Black Carbon Emission Inventory report, the following trends were observed (see figure 13):

• in 2018, approximately 37 kilotonnes (kt) of black carbon were emitted from human activities
• transportation and mobile equipment (notably diesel) and home firewood burning (in the Commercial/Residential/Institutional category) are the largest sources of black carbon, accounting for 21 kt (57%) and 11 kt (31%) respectively, of total emissions in 2018
• since 2013, black carbon emissions have decreased by 6.5 kt (15%), although emissions have increased by 2.5 kt (7%) since 2016
• trends in black carbon emissions are largely driven by transportation and mobile equipment, consistent with observed downward trends in emissions of fine particulate matter from combustion-related activities (upon which black carbon estimates are based)

Figure 13: Canada’s black carbon emissions trends, 2013 to 2018

Facility Greenhouse Gas Emissions Overview

In 2018, 1706 facilities reported their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (see figure 14), totaling 295 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂ eq). The 2018 reporting cycle marks the first year of Phase 2 of the expansion to the federal GHG reporting program (GHGRP) in which certain facilities in targeted sectors were also required to provide additional data. The reported emissions are largely distributed across 3 sectors: (1) Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (38%), (2) Manufacturing (30%), and (3) Utilities (25%).

The indicator for greenhouse gas emissions from large facilities provides consistent information on emissions from the largest emitting facilities in Canada and is published annually.

Figure 14: greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 from large facilities

The latest indicator, based on data reported to the GHG Reporting Program, shows that emissions from the reporting facilities account for 40% of Canada's total GHG emissions in 2018.

National Greenhouse Gas Inventory

As a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Canada is obligated to prepare and submit an annual national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory covering anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks. ECCC is responsible for preparing Canada’s official national inventory with input from numerous experts and scientists across Canada. The National Inventory Report (NIR) contains Canada’s annual GHG emission estimates dating back to 1990. In addition to providing GHG emission data by mandatory reporting categories, the NIR also presents emission data by Canadian economic sectors, which support policy analysis and development.

The NIR, along with the Common Reporting Format (CRF) tables, comprise Canada’s inventory submission to the UNFCCC and are prepared in accordance with the UNFCCC Reporting Guidelines on annual inventories.

The National GHG Inventory shows the following trends:

• After hovering between 700 and 720 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO₂ eq) in recent years, in 2018 Canada’s GHG emissions increased to 729 Mt CO₂ eq (see figure 15). This increase is attributed to higher fuel consumption for transportation, winter heating and oil and gas extraction.
• Over the long term, Canada’s economy has grown more rapidly than its GHG emissions: the emissions intensity for the entire economy (GHG per Gross Domestic Product [GDP]) has declined by 36% since 1990 and 20% since 2005.
• Emission trends since 2005 remain consistent, with emission increases in the Oil and Gas and Transportation sectors being offset by decreases in other sectors, notably Electricity and Heavy Industry.

Figure 15: Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions trend, 1990 to 2018

Further information on the National GHG Inventory is available online.

Please note that inventories mentioned above are available on the departmental data catalogue and the Open Data Portal.