Ontario tops provinces on environment, report says
However, Canada gets a D grade on world scale in new study conducted by the Conference Board
Ontario landed in the top spot among provinces for its management of the environment — but Canada gets a near-failing grade and sits near the bottom of the pile of 16 peer countries, just above the U.S. and Australia, a new report says.
Most provinces rank poorly in the Conference Board of Canada study released Thursday, with Ontario the only one to earn a B. Quebec, British Columbia and P.E.I. got a C, Manitoba a D and Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were all D-minus.
Lower air pollution and higher shares of low-emitting electricity production put Ontario ahead of the provincial pack in the agency’s latest environmental report card, released on the eve of Earth Day.
Meanwhile Canada’s D was based on 10 indicators covering climate change, air pollution and freshwater management — representing a drop in performance from the board’s previous 2013 national report card in which Canada received a C.
The report noted that while our poor ranking can be explained by a large land mass, cold climate and resource-intensive economy, it “clearly indicates that Canada has a long way to go toward improving its environmental performance.”
On climate change, Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions are among the highest of the peer countries, with only the U.S. and Australia faring worse, it found, pointing to its 20.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per capita.
However, Canada scored an A for lowemitting electricity generation. The report says that with nearly 80 per cent of Canada’s electricity generated from lowemitting sources such as hydro and nuclear power, Canada is behind only Norway, Switzerland, France and Sweden in this area.
How the provinces fared
Ontario, B: The province performs well on the air pollution indicators, earning an A for having low per-capita SOx and NOx emissions. Ontario entirely shut down the last of its coal stations in 2014 and now relies primarily on hydro and nuclear power for electricity generation. Quebec. C: The second-highest-ranked province. Because of its abundant hydro resources, Quebec produces 99 per cent of its electricity from low-emission sources and thus scores very highly on low-emitting electricity production. British Columbia, C: Like Quebec, produces most of its electricity from hydro stations and got an A on low-emitting electricity production. The province does poorly though on NOx emissions, PM10 emissions, and energy intensity, scoring Ds. Prince Edward Island, C: The best of the Atlantic provinces ranks just below B.C. and is unique among the provinces since nearly all of the electricity generated within the province comes from nonhydro renewable sources, such as wind and solar. Manitoba, D: The top-ranking prairie province places fifth overall. Like Quebec and B.C., Manitoba generates most of its electricity from hydro sources and also does well on waste water treatment. New Brunswick, D: The poorest show- ing on PM10 emissions and energy intensity indicators. The province also got low grades for VOC and GHG emission rates along with waste water treatment. Nova Scotia, D-minus: Scored poorly on waste water treatment and on two air pollution indicators, due partly to the province’s reliance on coal combustion to generate electricity. The province also does poorly on climate change. Newfoundland and Labrador, D-minus: Ranked the worst of the Atlantic provinces and scored poorly in most areas including air pollution and freshwater management. The report notes there’s “room for substantive improvement” on climate change as well. Alberta, D-minus: Ranked secondworst, with “dismal” results on climate change and managing its air pollution. The province relies heavily on fossil fuels to generate electricity. Saskatchewan, D-minus It heavily depends on fossil fuels to generate electricity, ranked worst in Canada. The province also does poorly on the air pollution and climate change.