The Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA 1999) (S.C. 1999, c. 33)

Laws and Policies

CCLW

CCLW national policies

Law passed

<ul>
<li>The CEPA 1999, or the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999, modifies the former Canadian Environmental Protection Act of 1988. It sets out a framework to manage and control toxic substances released from all stages of economic activities: from development, manufacturing, transport, distribution, storage, use up to disposal. This law is administered by the Environment Canada and to assess toxicity of substances or to develop associated regulations, objectives, guidelines and codes of practice the Ministry collaborates with the Health Canada. Among the list of toxic substances, the following GHGs are subject for regulation under this act: chlorofluorocarbon, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride. Key changes made under the CEPA 1999 are as follows:Implementation of pollution prevention</li>
<li>Introduction of new procedures to investigate and assess toxicity of substances</li>
<li>Introduction of new procedures to set new requirements and controls for substances that the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health have determined to be toxic or capable of becoming toxic</li>
<li>New provisions on animate products of biotechnology</li>
<li>New provisions on fuels, international air and water pollution, motor emissions, release of nutrients into water that may cause excessive growth of aquatic vegetation and environmental emergencies</li>
<li>New provisions to regulate the environmental impacts on government operations and to protect the environment on and in relation to federal land and aboriginal land</li>
<li>New provisions on disposal of wastes</li>
<li>New provisions on export and import of wastes</li>
<li>Provision of new powers for enforcement officers and analysts appointed by the Minister of the Environment</li>
<li>Specify criteria for courts to impose a sentence on an offender</li>
<li>Encourage participation of citizens in making decisions on environmental matters: new rights to send written comments or notices of objection to the Minister of the Environment</li>
</ul>
This was later amended by the Bill C-33 (26 June 2008) to include period and comprehensive reviews of the environmental and economic impacts of biofuel production in Canada. This amendment bill is also known as Biofuel Bill, as it established a framework within which the government can regulate biofuels content. This includes the tracking of exports to make accurate calculations of the volume of renewable fuels as a percentage of the total fuel used in Canada, and the lifting of administrative burdens that would be placed on small producers and importers. The Biofuel Bill allows the federal government to implement regulations requiring 5% average renewable content in gasoline by 2010. Subsequent regulations will also require 2% average renewable content in diesel and heating oil by 2012 on successful demonstration of renewable diesel fuel use under the range of Canadian environmental conditions. In addition, the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, has been regulating sections of the Environmental Protection Act which directly address climate change and the emission of GHG, including:
<ul>
<li>Passenger Automobile and Light Truck GHG Emissions Regulations (2010), which establishes GHG emission standards for cars and light trucks for model years 2011-2016, and the new Regulations for Passenger Automobile and Light Truck GHG Emissions (2012), which establishes GHG emission standards for cars and light trucks of model years 2017 and beyond.</li>
<li>Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-Fired Generation of Electricity Regulations (2012), which sets performance standards for carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired electricity generation units.</li>
<li>Heavy-Duty Vehicle and Engine GHG Emissions Regulations (2013), which establishes GHG emission standards for on-road heavy-duty vehicles and engines (e.g. buses, tractors and refuse trucks).</li>
<li>Renewable Fuels Regulations (2013), which aims to reduce GHG emissions by requiring an average 5% renewable fuel content in gasoline and 2% renewable content in diesel fuel.</li>
</ul>
Within the remit of this law, the Government announced the introduction of the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/canadian-environmental-protection-act-registry/publications/clean-fuel-standard-regulatory-framework.html" target="_self">clean fuel standard regulatory framework</a> to achieve 30 megatonnes of annual reductions in GHG emissions by 2030, contributing to Canada's effort to achieve its overall GHG mitigation target of 30% emission reduction below 2005 levels by 2030. The Government further projects to introduce <a href="http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2017/2017-05-27/pdf/g1-15121.pdf" target="_self">regulations on the reduction in the release of Methane and Certain Volatile Organic Compounds</a> (upstream Oil and Gas Sector).
There have been proposals for an Order Adding Carbon Dioxide Streams to Schedule 5 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, which enables carbon dioxide sequestration projects to be granted a permit.

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

This sector involves the wholesale and retail selling of goods.

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

Terrestrial means "of the earth" and relates to the risks to ecological system that includes all living organisms and their interactions within land-based environments, such as forests, grasslands, and deserts.

Social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, occupy or from which they have been displaced

People with different national or cultural traditions from the dominant population

This sector includes firms and individuals offering specialised expertise in fields such as law, accounting, consulting, science and engineering.

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

Using laws and the legal system more broadly to protect vulnerable entities

Activities involving the catching, processing, and selling of fish for food, recreation, and industry.

Activities of businesses and institutions that provide financial services and products to individuals and organisations.

The activities of industries that transforms raw materials into finished goods through industrial processes.

Air pollution involves harmful contaminants in the air, affecting both indoor and outdoor environments. It can lead to health issues like respiratory diseases and heart problems, and climate impacts such as global warming. Pollutants can damage plants, trees, habitats, and water bodies like rivers and lakes.

This sector creates and distributes information and entertainment through television, radio, print, and digital platforms.

Activities of industries that extract natural resources, such as mining, oil, and gas, for commercial use.

Oil is a combustible liquid fossil fuel composed mainly of hydrocarbons, occurring as crude oil and refined into petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

This sector involves managing waste treatment, sanitation, pollution control and environmental cleanup.

People who are less able to respond to the effects of climate change due to having limited financial or physical assets

Any substance with chemical properties that can cause physical harm to people or damage the environment, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, phosphine, chlorine, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, pesticides, dioxins, microplastics, benzene, asbestos, aflatoxins, fluoride, methanol, and toxins from marine sources.

Climate change can have a range of impacts on technological system. Extreme weather events can cause infrastructure failures like power outages or damage to roads and bridges, as well as the impacts from waste following natural disasters. Human activities also cause technological impacts, such as the risks posed by oil spillage and leaks.

People who have left their homes, whether through force, voluntarily, or a mixture of both

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock formed from carbonised plant matter, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurring in several main types including hard coal and brown coal.

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

Coastal zone and marine-related actions and measures to adapt and increase resilience to climate change

Conditions that enhance the feasibility of adaptation options. Enabling conditions include finance, technological innovation, strengthening policy instruments, institutional capacity, multi-level governance and changes in human behaviour and lifestyles.

Compulsory, required payments to the government that are levied more-or-less in proportion to the services provided. Fees and charges range from entrance fees to national parks, charges on land-based sewage discharge.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater, coastal and marine systems to climate change.

People whose health, both mental and physical, makes them more vulnerable to the effects of climate change

Codes and standards are regulatory instruments that specify minimum standards to protect health and safety. This ranges from performance standards, which prescribe outcomes while allowing flexibility to achieve compliance, to the more prescriptive approach of technology-specific standards.

A potent, short-lived greehouse gas, largely released from livestock, fossil fuel extraction and waste management.

Activities of government agencies and institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and manage public resources.

Social inclusion is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

The processes through which enterprises can identify, prevent, mitigate and account for how they address their actual and potential adverse impacts. Due diligence is the idea that reasonable precautions should be taken to avoid causing harm to people, the environment, or society. It also involves identifying and mitigating risks before they occur.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

Geohazards are adverse geological phenomenon's that are capable of causing widespread damage or loss to property, life and the environment, such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions and tsunamis. Climate change can increase the frequency and severity of some geohazards, such as landslides, and soil erosion.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA 1999) (S.C. 1999, c. 33)

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Just transition

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance