Reporting greenhouse gas emissions

Under the authority of Section 46 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), operators of facilities that meet the criteria specified in the annual notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs), published in the Canada Gazette, are required to report facility GHG emissions to Environment and Climate Change Canada by the annual June 1^st reporting deadline.

The Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2017, published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on December 30, 2017, represents the first phase of the expansion to the GHG reporting requirements under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). This notice describes who must report and what information must be reported by June 1st.

There are significant changes in the reporting requirements for 2017:

• the reporting threshold has been lowered from 50 000 tonnes to 10 000 tonnes (10 kilotonnes). All facilities that emit 10 kilotonnes or more of GHGs in carbon dioxide equivalent units (CO₂ eq) per year will be required to submit a report
• all facilities engaged in carbon capture, transport and geological storage (CCTS), regardless of their annual GHG emissions, will be required to submit a report covering CCTS activities for 2017 and relevant years for the period 2014 to 2016
• expanded data and methodological requirements will apply to manufacturers of lime, cement, iron and steel, and aluminium; and to facilities engaged in CCTS 

Companies that reported their facility emissions in the previous year must inform Environment and Climate Change Canada if any of their facilities do not meet the current year reporting criteria. Facilities with emissions falling below the reporting threshold of 10 kilotonnes per year can voluntarily report their GHG emissions.

Operators of facilities that are subject to the reporting requirements use Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Single Window system to report their information. The Single Window system streamlines the reporting to national and various provincial jurisdictions, thus helping to reduce the reporting burden and the overall costs to governments. Provincial partners using this system for GHG reporting include Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and New Brunswick.

Reporting resources

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

• Technical Guidance on Reporting Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Updated!) : 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 (New! For a copy please contact us at ec.ges-ghg.ec@canada.ca) : a detailed guide to the expanded reporting requirements that apply to lime, cement, iron and steel, and aluminium manufacturers, and to carbon capture, transport and storage (CCTS) activities. It also includes details on the quantification methods that facilities in these sectors are to use in calculating their GHG emissions
• Questions and Answers (Coming soon!) : answers to questions you may have regarding the GHGRP reporting requirements
  
• 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
• Access to Single Window system (Available!) : log-in to the on-line reporting system to create and submit your GHG report
  

Information sessions

The GHGRP has scheduled information sessions to assist facilities in understanding the 2017 reporting requirements and preparing their GHG reports.  The sessions will be held online through WebEx.

Two types of sessions are available and questions will be welcome during the sessions:

1. The General Reporting Requirements information sessions will present an overview of the GHGRP and describe the general reporting requirements (including the administrative and GHG emissions information to provide). These sessions are intended for facilities who may be reporting for the first time. A demonstration of our Single Window reporting system and steps to submit a GHG report will also be given.
2. The Expanded Reporting Requirements information sessions will discuss the new requirements established through the GHGRP expansion for targeted sectors and activities (lime, cement, aluminium and iron and steel manufacturing, as well as carbon capture, transport and storage) and the provisional options for reporting. A demonstration of our Single Window reporting system will also be given.

If you are interested, please register for the session(s) of your choice by clicking on the appropriate date.

Greenhouse gas reporting notices in the Canada Gazette

Under Environment and Climate Change Canada's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, a notice is published every year in Part I of the Canada Gazette, outlining the GHG reporting requirements for the corresponding calendar year. 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 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:

• 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).