Carbon & Emissions

Canada's Carbon
& Emissions Data

Canada's national GHG inventory tracks emissions across 10 provinces and 3 territories. Federal carbon pricing (currently $95/tonne CAD, rising to $170 by 2030) is the primary decarbonization policy lever alongside provincial cap-and-trade systems.

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708 Mt
CO2e national total (2022)
$95
/tonne federal carbon price (2025)
31%
Oil & gas share of emissions
-40–45%
2030 target vs 2005 levels
Provincial Breakdown

Provincial GHG emissions — 2022 estimates

Province Emissions (Mt CO2e) % National Total Largest Emitting Sector Carbon Pricing System
Alberta ~274 Mt 38.7% Oil & Gas Extraction Alberta TIER (provincial)
Ontario ~157 Mt 22.2% Transportation Federal Backstop
Quebec ~77 Mt 10.9% Transportation Quebec–California Cap-and-Trade
Saskatchewan ~75 Mt 10.6% Oil & Gas / Electricity Federal Backstop
British Columbia ~65 Mt 9.2% Oil & Gas / Transportation BC Carbon Tax (provincial)
Manitoba ~22 Mt 3.1% Agriculture Federal Backstop
Nova Scotia ~14 Mt 2.0% Electricity Generation Federal Backstop
New Brunswick ~13 Mt 1.8% Electricity / Industry Federal Backstop
Newfoundland & Labrador ~10 Mt 1.4% Oil & Gas (offshore) Federal Backstop
PEI ~2 Mt 0.3% Transportation / Agriculture Federal Backstop

Sources

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) National Inventory Report (NIR) 2024 · ECCC Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) · Statistics Canada Table 38-10-0097-01 · Provincial government GHG reporting programs

Carbon Pricing Systems

Canada's carbon pricing landscape

Canada operates a patchwork of federal and provincial carbon pricing systems — all calibrated to meet the federal benchmark price trajectory of $95/tonne (2025) rising to $170/tonne (2030).

Federal
Federal Backstop — Output-Based Pricing System (OBPS)
$95/t → $170/t
2025 → 2030 trajectory (CAD)
Applies in provinces without an equivalent provincial system. Covers fuel charges (consumer-facing) and the OBPS for large industrial emitters. Provinces covered: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, PEI. Revenue returned to provinces and households via Climate Action Incentive rebates.
Alberta
TIER — Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction
$95/t
2025 price (aligned to federal benchmark)
Alberta's TIER system covers large industrial facilities emitting more than 100,000 t CO2e/year, plus voluntary opt-in for smaller emitters. Facilities are given an emissions intensity benchmark; those exceeding the benchmark purchase compliance credits, while those below can generate and sell credits. Alberta has the longest-running industrial carbon pricing system in North America (since 2007 predecessor).
Quebec
Quebec–California Cap-and-Trade (WCI)
~$30–40/t
Market price (CAD equivalent, 2024 range)
Quebec operates a linked cap-and-trade system with California under the Western Climate Initiative (WCI). Covers large industrial emitters and fuel distributors. Market price is determined by quarterly auctions — historically lower than the federal backstop, though coverage scope is broader in some ways. The Quebec-California carbon market is one of the largest in North America.
British Columbia
BC Carbon Tax
$95/t
2025 (aligned to federal trajectory)
BC's carbon tax is Canada's oldest and most comprehensive — introduced in 2008. It applies broadly to fossil fuel combustion. BC's system is accepted as equivalent to the federal backstop. Revenue is recycled through the Climate Action Tax Credit and business reductions. BC also has its own industrial reporting and OBPS-equivalent system for large emitters.
Facility-Level Data

Canada's largest industrial emitters

Under the ECCC Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), facilities emitting ≥ 10,000 tonnes CO2e/year must report. The top emitters are dominated by oil sands operations.

CNRL Horizon Oil Sands Mine — Fort McMurray, AB
Alberta · Oil Sands Mining & Upgrading · TIER system
~14 Mt
CO2e/year
Suncor Energy Base Plant & Fort Hills
Alberta · Oil Sands Mining & Upgrading · TIER system
~12 Mt
CO2e/year
Imperial Oil Kearl Oil Sands
Alberta · Oil Sands Mining · TIER system
~8 Mt
CO2e/year
Boundary Dam Power Station — Estevan, SK
Saskatchewan · Coal-fired electricity generation · Federal backstop
~5 Mt
CO2e/year
ArcelorMittal Dofasco Steelworks — Hamilton, ON
Ontario · Integrated steel manufacturing · Federal backstop OBPS
~4 Mt
CO2e/year
Lafarge Canada — Exshaw Cement Plant, AB
Alberta · Cement manufacturing · TIER system
~1.5 Mt
CO2e/year
Carbon Capture & Storage

CCS projects & carbon sequestration

Canada hosts several of the world's most significant CCS projects, primarily in Alberta's geological storage formations. The federal Investment Tax Credit for CCUS (50% capital credit) is accelerating a new wave of projects.

Quest CCS — Scotford Upgrader, AB
Shell Canada / CNRL / Chevron
~1 Mt CO2/year captured
Operating since 2015 at Shell's Scotford facility near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Quest captures CO2 from hydrogen production used in oil sands upgrading and injects it ~2 km underground into the Basal Cambrian Sands formation. First large-scale CCS project in the oil sands sector; has cumulatively stored over 8 Mt CO2 since inception.
Boundary Dam CCS — Estevan, SK
SaskPower
~0.8 Mt CO2/year design capacity
World's first commercial-scale CCS on a coal-fired power plant. Operating since 2014 at SaskPower's Boundary Dam Unit 3. CO2 captured for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) at the Weyburn oilfield and geological storage. Performance has been below design capacity but provides critical learnings for coal-fleet CCS deployment globally.
Weyburn CO2 Sequestration Project — SK
Cenovus / Whitecap Resources
~2 Mt CO2/year injected
One of the world's largest CO2-EOR and storage projects. CO2 is piped from the Great Plains Synfuels Plant in North Dakota (~320 km) and injected into the Weyburn oilfield for enhanced recovery and permanent sequestration. Has injected over 40 Mt CO2 cumulatively. Provides the globally significant Weyburn-Midale CO2 Project dataset used in international CCS research.
Alberta Carbon Hub / CCUS Cluster Proposals
Multiple proponents — Edmonton Industrial Heartland
20+ Mt CO2/year proposed
Multiple competing CCUS hub proposals are advancing in Alberta's Industrial Heartland region (northeast of Edmonton), including the Pathways Alliance (CNRL, Suncor, Cenovus, Imperial, ConocoPhillips) CO2 trunk line proposal targeting 22 Mt/year from oil sands facilities. The 50% federal CCUS Investment Tax Credit (announced 2022 Budget) is the key enabling policy for these projects.
Data Sources

ECCC & National Inventory Report

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) publishes the National Inventory Report (NIR) annually — Canada's official submission to the UNFCCC. The NIR is the authoritative source for historical GHG emissions by province, sector, and gas type, covering CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and NF3 under the Kyoto/Paris framework.

The ECCC Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) requires facilities emitting ≥ 10,000 t CO2e/year to report annually. Facility-level data is published with a ~2-year lag, enabling large-emitter benchmarking, carbon credit valuation, and ESG-grade supply chain analysis.

ECCC also publishes the annual GHG Progress Report tracking progress against Canada's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement: -40 to -45% below 2005 levels by 2030.

Key ECCC Data Sources

  • National Inventory Report (NIR) — annual, UNFCCC submission
  • ECCC GHGRP Facility-Level Data (published annually)
  • ECCC GHG Progress Report (annual)
  • Canada's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)
  • Alberta TIER Program Reports (AER / Alberta Environment)
  • BC Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting (Ministry of Env.)
  • Statistics Canada Table 38-10-0097-01 — GHG emissions
Strategic Intelligence
Carbon data for ESG reporting, credit markets & regulatory compliance

Canada's carbon pricing and GHG reporting infrastructure is among the most developed in the world — making it uniquely useful for institutional investors, ESG analysts, and government procurement teams requiring investment-grade emissions intelligence.

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Investment-Grade ESG
Canada's facility-level GHGRP data enables Scope 1 emissions verification for supply chain ESG assessments. Institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds use this data for Paris-aligned portfolio construction and TCFD-compliant disclosure.
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Carbon Credit Markets
Alberta TIER, Quebec-California WCI, and federal offset protocols create quantifiable carbon credit markets. Reach Data tracks credit prices, issuance volumes, and compliance costs — essential for carbon arbitrage, hedging strategies, and regulatory cost modeling.
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Regulatory Compliance Intelligence
Government procurement and defense contractors operating in Canada or supplying Canadian agencies face carbon pricing obligations. Mapping facility-level emissions against compliance obligations is a core due-diligence requirement for government contracting and project financing.
Data Access

Access carbon & emissions data via API

ESG analysts, carbon market participants, and government compliance teams use Reach Data to integrate Canada's provincial and facility-level GHG data into their reporting workflows.

API Access → All Energy Sectors