Reporting greenhouse gas emissions

Information and guidance on reporting to the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP).  

The Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2021 was published on December 18, 2021 in the Canada Gazette. The notice describes who must report and what information must be reported.

The 2021 notice does not contain any major changes. It builds on the 2020 notice which includes expanded data and methodological requirements that apply to the following sectors:

• aluminium production
• ammonia production
• base metal production
• cement production
• CO₂ capture, transport, injection or storage
• electricity or heat-steam generation
• ethanol production
• hydrogen production (refineries or stand-alone)
• iron and steel production
• lime production
• mining
• nitric acid production
• petroleum refineries
• pulp and paper production

Facilities that reported their emissions in the previous year must inform us if they do not meet the current year’s reporting criteria by submitting a Does Not Meet Criteria (DNMC) report through the Single Window system.

Reporting resources

Use the Single Window system to report your information. This system streamlines the reporting to national and various provincial jurisdictions, and helps reduce the reporting burden and overall costs to governments. Provincial partners who also use this system for GHG reporting include:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Ontario
• New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia
• Saskatchewan

The following links provide guidance for reporting to the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program:

• Reporting greenhouse gas emissions data: technical guidance 2020 (applicable to 2021 reporting): a comprehensive overview of the GHG emissions reporting requirements, including guidance for potential reporters to help determine if they are required to submit a report, the greenhouse gases and emission sources subject to reporting, along with general information on methods for calculating emissions and the required reporting format.
• Canada's Greenhouse Gas Quantification Requirements (updated): a detailed guide to the quantification methods and expanded reporting requirements that apply to facilities covered under Phases 1 and 2 of the GHGRP expansion.
• Questions and Answers (updated): answers to questions you may have regarding the GHGRP reporting requirements
• Access to Single Window system: log-in to the on-line reporting system to create and submit your GHG report
• Instructions for using the Single Window system (updated): provides step by step instructions on how to report your greenhouse gas information using the Single Window system.
• Video Tutorials: a series of video tutorials are available to help explain the reporting requirements and provide a demonstration of the Single Window system and how to submit a report. Please contact us at ges-ghg@ec.gc.ca to access the video tutorials

Greenhouse gas reporting notices in the Canada Gazette

Under the GHGRP, a notice is published every year in Part I of the Canada Gazette. The notice describes who must report and what information must be reported.

Notices for previous years' reporting requirements covering 2004 to 2011 are available at Government of Canada Publications or can be requested from the GHGRP.

• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2021, December 18, 2021 PDF (1.4 MB)
• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2020, February 13, 2021 PDF (2.5 MB)
• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2019, February 1, 2020 PDF (1.3 MB)
• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2018, January 19, 2019 PDF (1.8 MB)
• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2017, December 30, 2017 PDF (1.8 MB)
• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2016, December 10, 2016 PDF (4.14 MB)
• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2015, October 17, 2015 PDF (438 KB)
• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2014, October 11, 2014 PDF (1014 KB)
• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2013, November 2, 2013 PDF (1.69 MB)
• Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2012, September 22, 2012 PDF (2.68 MB)

Key changes that were made to federal reporting requirements in previous years included:

• additional reporting requirements following prescribed methodologies expanded to additional sectors (issued in the 2018 notice)
• a reduction of the reporting threshold (from 50 kt to 10 kt of CO₂ eq.) and new requirements for specific sectors to report additional information following prescribed methodologies (issued in the 2017 Notice)
• updates to the global warming potential (GWP) values that facilities are required to use to assess whether they meet the specified reporting threshold and in reporting their emissions (issued in the 2013 Notice)
• a requirement to report facility latitude and longitude information (except pipeline transportation systems) (issued in the 2013 Notice)
• a reduction of the reporting threshold (from 100 kt to 50 kt of CO₂ eq.) and a further breakdown of specific emission source categories (issued in the 2009 Notice)