The Northwest Territories 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.

On June 5, 2019, the Government of the Northwest Territories announced that it will delay the implementation of its planned carbon pollution pricing system until September 1, 2019.

The Northwest Territories’ planned carbon pollution pricing system is on track to meet the federal benchmark stringency requirements.

Please contact the Northwest Territories for additional details on its planned carbon pollution pricing system and programs.

Canada’s clean-growth investments in the Northwest Territories

The Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund is reducing emissions and creating new jobs for the Northwest Territories, with over $30 million for projects that

• Make public-housing facilities more affordable and comfortable through energy-efficient retrofits that stop cold-air drafts, replace thermostats, and install low-energy LED lights. Some buildings will transition to solar energy and biomass heating.
• Plant 120 hectares of forest, which will store carbon.
• Support energy-efficient retrofits in all local government buildings in the Northwest Territories, including Indigenous governments, saving communities money and reducing energy needs.

Since 2016, the Government of Canada has allocated over $8.6 million for investments in public-transit projects in the Northwest Territories, including public-transit upgrades in Yellowknife. This is one way we are 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, over $208 million is allocated for investments in green infrastructure in the Northwest Territories, 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 the Northwest Territories and Canada are working together to fund priority projects that will help reduce carbon pollution and grow the economy.

Through the Northern REACHE program, the Government of Canada has provided over $2.84 million to support 19 community-driven clean-energy projects in remote and Indigenous communities. Canada is supporting innovation in the North, like projects that transform cardboard waste into biofuels.

Canada is investing in clean renewable energy in the Northwest Territories. CanNor has invested close to $1 million for smaller-scale wind-energy projects in Inuvik. Giving the Northwest Territories access to renewable energy helps to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save money.

The impacts of climate change are being magnified in Canada’s Arctic, where average temperatures have increased at a rate of nearly three times the global average. They pose significant risks to communities, health and well-being, the economy, and the natural environment, especially in Canada’s northern and coastal regions and in Indigenous communities.

Specific initiatives to increase resilience to climate impacts within the Northwest Territories include education and awareness raising, permafrost-thaw vulnerability assessments, and the evaluation and management of coastal erosion in Tuktoyaktuk. These studies make sure that the Northwest Territories is ready for the impacts of climate change and that northern Canadians will remain safe.