4. Reporting programs and emission inventories

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

• Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
• National Pollutant Release Inventory

Data for both programs is submitted through ECCC's Single Window Information Management (SWIM) system.

The most recent reports on Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory and Facility-reported greenhouse gas data are available online.

ECCC compiles and maintains 5 inventories of substances released into the environment using the information reported through these programs. These are the:

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

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

Under CEPA section 46, facilities (mostly large industrial operations) are required to report the amounts of greenhouse gases released to the air through its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). Any facility emitting a combined total quantity of greenhouse gases above the equivalent of 10 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide must report their information each June. The GHGRP is part of ECCC's ongoing effort to maintain and continuously enhance, in collaboration with various provinces, 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 inform the development of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, and to support regulatory initiatives. The data collected are also shared with provinces and territories.

• Facilities submitted their information on greenhouse gas emissions for 2020 by June 1, 2021. ECCC undertook its yearly review of the submitted data to assess and resolve compliance or data quality issues. The reviewed data was prepared for public release on April 14, 2022 (see below for details on the data).
• On December 18, 2021, ECCC published a notice in the Canada Gazette, Part I requiring the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions for the 2021 calendar year. Requirements largely reflected those issued for 2020 data (in February 2021).
• The 2021 reporting cycle continued the additional requirements (introduced in 2017) as part of an expansion to the GHG Reporting Program to include enhanced reporting and methodological requirements for 14 industry sectors. ECCC will continue to assess the need for further expansion in future years.

National Pollutant Release Inventory

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 requirements have reported on an annual basis.

• NPRI data for the 2020 reporting year was submitted to ECCC by September 30, 2021 (details on the data follows below). Reviewed data for 2020 was published on March 2, 2022. The deadline for reporting of 2020 data and its publication was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated delays in the launch of the modernized NPRI reporting application.

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 2021-2022 included a number of virtual meetings and consultations on proposals for specific changes that would take effect for reporting of 2022 data. After taking into account input received during these consultations, ECCC published the updated NPRI requirements for 2022 to 2024 reporting in the Canada Gazette, Part I on February 12, 2022. Key changes included the addition of chlorhexidine (and its salts) and the reporting requirements for air pollutants and VOCs that will improve the information available for air quality modelling and other data users.

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.

National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) information is also 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.

The most recent NPRI data available at the time of publication is for the 2020 reporting year. In 2020, 7168 facilities (Figure 8) reported to the NPRI approximately 4.98 million tonnes of pollutants covering over 320 substances (Figure 9):

• 2.81 million tonnes of pollutants were released directly to the environment
• 1.83 million tonnes were disposed to landfills, applied to land or injected underground, either on the facility site or off-site
• 338 638 tonnes were transferred off the facility site for treatment prior to final disposal or for recycling and energy recovery

Figure 8. Location of facilities that reported to the NPRI for the 2020 reporting year

Figure 9. Breakdown of total quantities reported to NPRI for 2020, by reporting category

Between 2011 and 2020, releases to the environment to all media reported to the NPRI decreased by 640 085 tonnes. In particular:

• releases to air decreased by 650 630 tonnes
• releases to water increased by 3333 tonnes
• releases to land increased by 7213  tonnes
• releases of substances that is, unspecified media) where the total release quantity was less than 1 tonne decreased by 62 tonnes

Between 2011 and 2020, total disposals and transfers increased by 119 388 tonnes. In particular:

• off-site disposals decreased by 215 792 tonnes
• on-site disposals (excluding tailings and waste rock) decreased by 76 391 tonnes
• off-site transfers for recycling decreased by 320 043 tonnes
• disposals of waste rock (rock removed to reach ore) increased by 370 219 tonnes
• disposals of tailings (materials left when minerals are removed from ore) increased by 361 395 tonnes

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:

• facility-reported data primarily from the NPRI
• 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 air pollutant emissions. These emissions include sulphur oxides (SO_x), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), dioxins and furans, and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The APEI also reports emissions of additional air pollutants including ammonia (NH₃), carbon monoxide (CO), coarse particulate matter (PM₁₀) and total particulate matter (TPM).

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.

This edition of the APEI Report (PDF, 4.1MB) summarizes the most recent estimates of air pollutant emissions for 1990 to 2020, as of February 2022. The inventory indicates that emissions of 14 of the 17 reported air pollutants are decreasing compared to historical level (see Figure 10). A few key sources of pollutants account for a significant portion of the downward trends in emissions (see Table 19).

The most recent year for which data are available for this report, 2020, was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. This coincides with observed emission decreases between the years 2019 and 2020 for almost all pollutants with the exception of particulate matter and NH₃. Indeed, despite significant decreases in emissions of most pollutants since 2005, emissions of particulate matter have risen by 33% (TPM), 29% (PM₁₀) and 15% (PM_2.5). These increases are coming largely from dust emissions associated with transportation on unpaved roads as well as construction operations. Another exception to the general downward trends is the steady increase in emissions of NH₃, which in 2020 were 24% above 1990 levels, although 1% below 2005 levels. The upward trend in NH₃ emissions is driven primarily by the use of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer.

Figure 10. Emissions trends for selected air pollutants in Canada, 1990 to 2020

Black carbon emissions inventory

Canada produces an annual report, as well as an associated report, as part of its commitments under the Arctic Council Framework for Action on Enhanced Black Carbon and Methane Emissions Reductions. The report serves to inform Canadians about black carbon emissions, to provide valuable information on domestic actions to reduce emissions, and to help track action and progress towards the Arctic Council collective goal to reduce emissions of black carbon by 25-33% below 2013 levels by 2025.

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, and taken from the Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory.

According to Canada’s 2022 Black Carbon Inventory Report, the following trends are notable (see Figure 11).

• In 2020, approximately 29 kilotonnes (kt) of black carbon were emitted from vehicles, equipment, and combustion of fuel related to human activities.
• The largest sources of black carbon emissions are transportation and mobile equipment (notably diesel engines from on-road and off-road transport) and Commercial/Residential/Institutional category fuel combustion, most notably from home firewood burning, accounting for 17 kt (60%) and 8.0 kt (28%) respectively, of total emissions in 2020.
• Since 2013, black carbon emissions have decreased by 8.1 kt (22%).
• The most recent year for which data are available for this report, 2020, was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, coinciding with an observed overall decrease in emissions of 2.6 kt or 8.2% between the years 2019 and 2020. This decrease is most notable in transportation and mobile equipment. There were less off-road diesel engines in use in 2020 relative to 2019, and they consumed less diesel fuel.
• 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 11. Canada's black carbon emissions trends, 2013 to 2020

Facility-level greenhouse gas emissions inventory

Accurate and consistent tracking of greenhouse gas emissions from individual facilities contributes to ECCC's efforts to monitor environmental performance and develop policies related to climate change by providing a more precise picture of emission levels from large emitters in Canada. The most recent data available, collected under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, is for the 2020 reporting year.

• In 2020, 1704 facilities reported their greenhouse gas emissions (see Figure 12), totaling 273 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂ eq). The reported emissions are largely distributed across 3 sectors: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (41%); Manufacturing (30%); and Utilities (22%).
• Total facility-reported emissions were 7% less than the reported total in 2019 (293 Mt) due mainly to reduced emissions in the electricity generation and manufacturing sectors. Factors contributing to reduced emissions in 2020 stem from a number of drivers such as lower coal consumption, production slowdowns and impacts on facility operations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The complete data set of greenhouse gas emissions from facilities and the corresponding indicator provides consistent information on emissions from the largest emitting facilities in Canada and is published annually.

The latest data reported to the GHGRP shows that emissions from the reporting facilities account for 41% of Canada's total GHG emissions in 2020.

Figure 12. Location of facilities reporting greenhouse gas emissions in 2020

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 NIR published in 2022 provides data up to 2020.

The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows the following trends:

• After fluctuations in recent years, Canada's GHG emissions in 2020 decreased to 672 megatonnes of carbon dioxide (Mt CO₂ eq) (see Figure 13), net decreases of 66 Mt or 8.9% from 2019 and 69 Mt CO₂ eq or 9.3% from 2005 emissions.
• During the period covered by this inventory (1990-2020), 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 39% since 1990 and 26% since 2005.
• The year 2020 was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, coinciding with a decrease in emissions of 66 Mt, or 8.9%, across numerous sectors. Notable examples include: Transport (-27 Mt or -12%), largely due to fewer kilometres driven and a decrease in air traffic; and, Public Electricity and Heat Production (-7.4 Mt or -11%) due to decreased coal consumption partially offset by an increase in natural gas consumption.
• Emission trends since 2005 remain consistent with previous editions of the NIR, with emission increases in the Oil and Gas and Transportation sectors being offset by decreases in other sectors, notably Electricity and Heavy Industry.

Figure 13. Canada's greenhouse gas emissions trend, 1990 to 2020

Further information on the National GHG Inventory is available online. Please note that inventories mentioned above are available on the Open Data Portal.