Canada’s Climate Change taskforce led by Minister Steven Guilbeault is moving towards more regulation — this time pizzerias and bagel shops.
The federal government says they’ve undertaken steps to ensure businesses that use wood-fired ovens adhere to emission reporting thresholds, as outlined in the National Pollutant Release Inventory program.
The feds’ investigation could end up requiring pizzeria and bagel shop business owners to annually report their carbon emissions, disposals, and recycling activities.
“Addressing air pollution is a shared responsibility between federal, provincial and territorial governments. Some provinces and municipalities in Canada also have standards in place that set limits on air pollutant emissions from new residential wood-burning appliances,” said a spokesperson from Guilbeault’s office.
Public Health officials in Montreal asked the feds to cap emissions from businesses with wood-fired overs in 2019 after reporting that three percent of the city’s air pollutants come from them.
Guilbeault wants a plastic registry to keep “plastic companies accountable for their waste”
Guilbeault’s plans to regulate everything has reached new levels in 2024. Last week, he doubled down on his goal of creating a national plastics registry that would require plastics producers to track their items.
In response, Alberta’s United Conservative Party scolded the idea. Last week the UCP’s Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said it was “unnecessary” and a “waste of time, tax dollars.”
The feds have stated that the registry would help them achieve their goal of zero-plastic waste by 2030, and they’d use the information to “measure progress toward zero plastic waste and inform actions to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.”
Earlier this month, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fire Guilbeault, calling him a “national embarrassment.”
