Canadian Legislative Updates

Canada is half way to meeting its 2020 greenhouse gas emission target, as announced by Federal Minister of the Environment, the Honorable Peter Kent. As was highlighted in Ottawa by Kent, through the release of Canada’s Emissions Trends Report, the Government of Canada has targeted two of Canada’s largest sources of emissions: electricity and transportation.

Through a sector-by-sector approach, the Government has helped target emission reductions through the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation and electricity sectors, and moving forward, will continue to target other sectors, including oil and gas.

Under the transportation sector, new vehicles have become much more efficient than in years past and various provincial policies to reduce emissions have been successful. 

Canada has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by seventeen percent from 2005 levels by the year 2020.  The report takes into account the most recent economic and emissions data, in addition to federal and provincial actions to reduce emissions.



Four community partners have joined together in Prince George to unveil the Nissan Leaf, a 100 percent electric vehicle. The community partners are the City of Prince George, Northern Health, the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), and the Regional District of Fraser Fort George.

Funding for the City of Prince George to purchase the vehicle and four charging stations was provided by the Community Works Fund, managed by the Union of BC Municipalities. The Fund provides federal gas tax funding to BC communities to support projects that are committed to providing cleaner water, cleaner air or reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

City Mayor Shari Green reiterated its commitment to improving environmental sustainability, and highlighted that the new electric vehicle will help in the City’s efforts to execute the City’s Green Fleet Strategic Plan.

There are numerous benefits associated with the use of electric vehicles, which partners hope the community initiative will demonstrate. The cost of electricity per year to operate the unit is approximately $300.  In comparison, a gasoline vehicle can cost as much as $3100 per year to fuel. Other cost savings associated with electric vehicles include the reduction of maintenance fees, as the vehicle runs on batteries and does not use conventional engine oil.

A Memorandum of Agreement, which has been developed by all four community partners, outlines how the vehicle use and operating costs will be shared amongst the group.