Alberta: Modernizing TIER to secure tomorrow
Alberta is seeking to update the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) system to drive investment at large industrial facilities, helping companies stay competitive and protecting jobs.
This fall, Alberta’s government will introduce updates to the TIER system that would empower Alberta industries to invest in on-site emissions reduction technology that works for their specific businesses. Making Alberta’s highly successful TIER system even more effective and flexible will make industries more globally competitive while maintaining Alberta’s leadership in emissions reductions.
“TIER has always been about Alberta leading the way – proving to the world that it’s possible to increase energy production, grow the economy and lower emissions at the same time. These amendments build on that success by giving industry the certainty and flexibility they need to invest right here at home. We know this work is not finished. We will continue to press the federal government to match Alberta’s leadership with realistic policies and timelines so that together we can keep building an economy that is strong and ready for the future.”
“We are committed to ensuring our industry remains competitive and can once again bring in the capital investment needed to deliver safe, affordable and reliable energy to Canadians and the rest of the world. Enabling them to reinvest their dollars into their own facilities will be good for the environment while growing our economy and creating jobs.”
“TIER has played a critical role in helping Alberta energy be the most responsibly produced energy in the world. These changes will further allow our major energy companies to increase production and finance new world-leading emission reduction efforts consistent with Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan.”
Proposed updates to the TIER system include:
- Recognizing on-site emissions reduction investments as a new way for industry to comply with the TIER system in addition to the current options available, which include paying into the TIER fund or buying credits. This would reward companies for investing directly in emissions reduction technology that encourages innovation, supports local jobs and reduces emissions.
- Allowing smaller facilities that currently participate in the TIER system to leave or opt out for 2025 to reduce costs and red tape. Smaller facilities below the regulatory emissions threshold can face disproportionate compliance costs under the TIER system, which is mainly designed for large facilities. This change would help smaller industries save money and redirect resources into emissions reduction investments or other operational improvements for more cost savings. It offers flexibility, especially for small manufacturers and rural operations, which protects jobs across Alberta.
These changes will position Alberta, once again, as a world leader ready to meet the challenges and realities of shifting global markets, increased competition and trade uncertainty.
“We are pleased to see the Government of Alberta is taking steps to improve competitiveness of climate policy. Today’s announcement recognizes industry concerns around competitiveness and signals that the province is moving forward to support emissions reduction in a way that helps companies reduce emissions, compete for investment, and create jobs for Albertans. EPAC believes provinces are best positioned to lead on climate policy, and we look forward to continued work with Alberta.”
“Pathways Alliance appreciates the Government of Alberta’s efforts to support the oil sands industry and protect jobs. Direct investment through the TIER system is expected to encourage continued investment in emission reduction technologies, and advance innovative infrastructure. The oil sands industry looks forward to ongoing work with governments to strengthen global competitiveness and attract investment.”
Alberta’s economy is growing and emissions are declining thanks to the province’s common-sense approach. Alberta’s government will continue to work with industry to protect jobs, strengthen competitiveness and maintain Alberta’s position as the destination of choice for global investment.
Quick facts
- Alberta’s TIER system was established in 2007 and was the first of its kind in North America.
- Currently the TIER system includes about 60 per cent of the province’s total emissions, helping Alberta’s industrial facilities find innovative ways to reduce emissions and invest in technology to stay competitive, save money and create jobs.
- The TIER Regulation requires any facility that emits 100,000 tonnes or more of emissions in a year to meet annual emissions reductions using either a facility-specific or a sector benchmark approach.
- Under the current system, regulated facilities can comply using credits (carbon offsets, emission performance credits or sequestration tonnes) or pay into the TIER fund at $95 per tonne of emissions.
- Sectors regulated under the TIER system include oil and gas, oil sands mining, electricity, forestry, chemicals, fertilizers, minerals, food processing and waste.
- Since 2019, Alberta has invested $1.6 billion from the TIER fund into geothermal, hydrogen, energy storage, methane reduction, carbon capture and other technology projects, reducing approximately 70 million tonnes of emissions by 2030 and supporting about 21,000 jobs across the province.
Alberta changing industrial carbon tax program to recognize company investments in emissions reduction
(Source: CBC News) The Alberta government is changing its industrial carbon tax program to let companies avoid paying provincial fees for emissions by investing in their own emissions reduction projects instead.
Premier Danielle Smith told reporters Tuesday that the move, likely to come into effect this fall, would support economic growth while ensuring companies work to lower emissions.
“We’re looking at it a little like a recycling program,” Smith said.
“It will incentivize companies to spend money here in Alberta on emissions reductions investments specific to their projects without burdensome regulation or government choosing winners or losers.”
Smith said the province is also allowing smaller companies that don’t meet the program’s minimum emissions threshold to opt out of the carbon pricing system for 2025.
“This change will help smaller industries to save money and redirect resources into emissions reduction investments or other operational improvements for more cost savings,” she said.
Alberta has had an industrial carbon pricing system since 2007. The current version, called Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER), has been in place since 2020.
Smith said the upcoming changes to the program stem from consultations her government did with hundreds of oilsands and natural gas officials last spring.
Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz, speaking alongside Smith, said the changes are a “significant win for industry.”
“Instead of sticking to two compliance options, which is by paying a levy or using credits to offset their emissions, enabling companies to reinvest in their own facilities and choose the onsite technologies that work best for them, this helps with the economics of production but also emissions reduction,” said Schulz.
Smith’s announcement drew criticism, with groups like clean energy think tank the Pembina Institute, saying the changes could lead to “double-counting,” while also weakening the value of Alberta’s carbon credits.
“Based on what we’ve heard today, companies will be able to avoid paying a compliance cost at the point of investment in technologies, but then also generate a carbon credit when their emissions start to be reduced,” said Chris Severson-Baker, the institute’s executive director.
Dale Beugin, executive vice-president at the Canadian Climate Institute, agreed. He said in a statement that permitting double-counting would create an oversupply of carbon credits in the market.
“Without improvements, excess credit supply — and the low credit prices that result — will dilute incentives for investment,” Beugin said.
“These changes add up to two things: less long-term certainty for businesses and investors, and more harmful emissions going into our atmosphere, contributing to global emissions fuelling more wildfires, droughts and extreme weather endangering Albertan communities.”
Opposition NDP energy critic Nagwan Al-Guneid said the province didn’t do enough consultation before moving forward with the changes.
She also said Smith and Schulz’s announcement lacked specific details on what kind of projects will qualify for companies to invest in under the new rules.
Schulz said Tuesday that companies will have eight years to make infrastructure investments if they choose to comply through the new method.
She said if those investments aren’t made, a company’s emissions fees will be collected by the government as usual.
Kendall Dilling, the president of the Pathways Alliance, said in a statement that the government’s changes will encourage investment in emissions reduction technology.
Dilling said the alliance, which represents Canada’s largest oilsands companies that are working together on a major potential carbon capture and storage project, appreciates the province’s efforts to support the oilsands industry.
Alberta indefinitely froze its industrial carbon price at $95 per tonne of emissions in May, and neither Smith nor Schulz mentioned Tuesday whether that freeze would be lifted in the near future.
Schulz’s office did not immediately respond to questions about the future of the freeze.
Smith said in May that the move was a critical step in keeping industry competitive throughout Canada’s tariff fight with the United States.
Alberta’s price was set to increase to $110 per tonne next year in line with federal rules, and if Alberta doesn’t lift the freeze by the new year, it will mean the province breaks its compliance agreement.
Ottawa could choose to enforce the $110 price if Alberta doesn’t increase its carbon price come January — a move advocacy group Environmental Defence called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to take Tuesday.
“Alberta needs to pull its weight when it comes to fighting climate change and if it won’t, the federal government must step in,” said the group’s programs director, Keith Brooks, in a statement.
Edmonton company fights $300K fine over prolonged toxic leak at Alberta oilfield well
(Source: CBC News) An Edmonton-based company is appealing the $303,769 fine it was issued for failing to clean up a toxic leak at an oilfield disposal well in central Alberta for more than two years.
According to a decision issued by the Alberta Energy Regulator last week, Cancen Oil Processors Inc.’s request for an appeal has been granted and a panel of independent adjudicators will be assembled to review the fine.
A hearing date has yet to be scheduled. The regulator has also recommended the matter to an alternative dispute resolution process.
The company was sanctioned for a leak at its site in New Sarepta and for its continued failure to properly remediate the site, about 50 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
Regulatory documents detail how the company failed to heed warnings about the risks of leaks from its abandoned tanks, ignored calls to clean up and has continued to defy regulatory orders.
Following a string of violations, the AER has ordered Cancen Oil to suspend operations at New Sarepta and formally barred from acquiring new sites amid increasing concerns about the company’s ability to safely operate and manage its environmental liabilities.
Calls to the company’s head office in Edmonton were not returned.
The leak was first detected in the summer of 2022, months after Cancen Oil was warned about the risks of leaving out-of-service tanks filled with fluids.
During an inspection in August, following up on a complaint from the public, it was discovered that “flow back fluid” from one of the tanks was spilling out through an opened valve which had been vandalized.
Flow back fluids refer to the water that returns to the surface after hydraulic fracturing operations.
The leak, which contained petroleum hydrocarbons, ethylene glycol, monoethanolamine and other harmful compounds, had flowed into a man-made water runoff pond.
In August 2022, the company received a notice of non-compliance for not containing the spill, and was issued a formal order to address the release.
According to the AER investigation, the company failed to remediate the leak as ordered for at least 21 months.
During that time, it improperly treated the undrained pond and failed to complete adequate soil and groundwater testing, despite repeated assurances to the regulator that the work was being done.
The company told the regulator that around 160,000 litres of contaminated water had been removed from the pond but a follow-up inspection found that it had not been properly drained.
The contaminated water and tanks, still loaded with liquid, were allowed to solidify and then freeze over as summer turned to winter. Birds were seen in the water and tanks as well, according to AER documents.
About 7,000 tonnes of contaminated soil had to be either dug out or treated on site but the company continued to delay the work.
On Feb. 15, 2023, the AER issued an environmental protection order against Cancen for its failure to report and contain the release.
Tammy Loiselle, AER’s director of emissions, compliance, support and safety, met with representatives from the company in late January 2025 before making a final decision on the administrative penalty.
She determined the company should be penalized for delaying remediation work and its prolonged history of non-compliance.
According to AER documents, the company had been quoted more than $2.2 million for the remediation of the site but delayed the costs associated with remediation.
Loiselle said in her final penalty decision that the company had demonstrated “a lack of due diligence” and had profited from delaying the cleanup.
“Cancen was aware of the requirements to contain and remediate but did not take practical steps or pursue viable alternatives to comply or address the release,” the AER said.
During the January meeting, company officials told the AER that they were surprised that there were timelines associated with clean-up. The company’s director told the AER that Cancen Oil had the money to either pay the penalty or clean up the release, not both.
The company, however, did not dispute the investigation findings and told the AER that remediation would begin by May.
In April, the company was ordered to suspend operations at New Sarepta. At that time, remediation work had still not begun and the AER determined that Cancen Oil continued to defy the environmental protection order and had failed to complete a clean-up plan and the mandated monitoring of the leak site.
Cancen was slapped with an administrative sanction in June for failing to meet its 2024 mandatory closure spend quota to the AER, a minimum required amount of money that companies must spend on closing and rehabilitating oil and gas sites annually.
Under the sanction, Cancen Oil is prohibited from acquiring any new well, facility or pipeline licences.
“It is necessary to suspend Cancen’s operations at New Sarepta to protect the public and environment,” the AER wrote.
BC: Environmental assessment certificate granted for Ksi Lisims LNG project
Fossil fuels harm health from ‘cradle to grave’: report
PARIS, France — The extraction, transportation and burning of planet-heating fossil fuels have a huge impact on people’s health that starts before they are born and lasts until they die, a report warned Tuesday.
Pollution from fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas has been linked to a vast range of health problems, including miscarriages, asthma, cancer, strokes, heart disease and more.
“Fossil fuels are a direct assault on health, harming us at every stage of their lifecycle and every stage of our lives, from the womb to old age,” Shweta Narayan, the author of the new report from the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said in a statement.
The alliance, which includes more than 200 organizations representing 46 million health workers around the world, said the report was the first comprehensive global overview of how fossil fuels affect health across lifetimes.
Living near coal mines or fracking sites has been linked to higher rates of premature births, miscarriages and other problems during pregnancies, according to peer-reviewed research cited in the report.
During childhood, air pollution from fossil fuels is associated with higher rates of asthma and cancers such as leukemia, it added.
Once in old age, people exposed to air pollution have been found to have an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, certain forms of dementia — and early death.
Aside from the health impacts of extracting and burning fossil fuels, transporting them can also pose a threat, such as gas pipe lines leaking into water systems or mass oil spills.
Even once the fossil fuels have been burnt, chemicals such as lead, mercury, and “forever chemicals” PFAS persist in the soil, water and food chain, the report warned.
Extreme weather events made more fierce and common by fossil fuel-driven global warming can compound the impact on health. Hurricanes can knock out health facilities, for example, while smoke from bushfires can cause breathing problems.
The immense toll on health often falls on already disadvantaged and marginalized communities in poorer nations, it added.
Children and the elderly living near coal mines in the central Indian district of Korba “struggle with asthma, bronchitis, and TB; families face birth defects, skin infections, and stomach illnesses from contaminated water,” local health worker Neha Mahant said in the report.
“Coal doesn’t just generate electricity — it generates suffering.”
“The age of fossil fuels has poisoned our air, broken health, and fractured dignity,” former UN climate head Christiana Figueres said in a statement linked to the report, urging a swift transition to renewable energy.
The Global Climate and Health Alliance’s executive director Jeni Miller called for governments to commit to halting new oil, gas and coal projects at November’s COP30 UN climate conference in Brazil.
“Just as governments once curbed tobacco industry influence, they must now ban fossil fuel lobbying and disinformation,” Miller said.
The alliance also urged governments to stop subsidizing fossil fuels, which added up to $7 trillion in 2022, representing more than seven percent of global GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Despite repeated warnings about the devastating impacts of human-caused climate change, last year the world again broke the record for most carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.
Saskatchewan Investment Program Supports New Critical Minerals Mine
The Government of Saskatchewan’s Critical Minerals Processing Investment Incentive (CMPII) will support the development of Foran Mining Corporation’s (Foran) McIlvenna Bay mine, which is expected to begin commercial production in mid-2026.
The CMPII was introduced in 2024 to support value-added processing projects for 11 emerging critical minerals found in Saskatchewan, including copper and zinc. Through onsite processing, Foran’s McIlvenna Bay project is expected to produce significant amounts of copper and zinc concentrates.
“It is incredibly exciting to see this critical minerals project come to life in Saskatchewan,” Energy and Resources Minister Colleen Young said. “Our province’s rich resources, competitive business environment and reliable regulatory framework make Saskatchewan one of the top places in the world for companies like Foran to invest in major projects. Our government appreciates Foran’s decision to centre its operations in Saskatchewan, and we look forward to the McIlvenna Bay mine growing our economy and continuing to create long term employment opportunities in the north.”
The McIlvenna Bay project, located west of Creighton, represents a total capital investment of over $1 billion. The project consists of an underground copper, zinc, gold, and silver mine, accompanied by an above-ground processing facility. The processing facility will have a capacity of 4,900 tonnes per day of ore producing copper, zinc, gold, and silver over an initial 18-year mine life.
“We are grateful for the Government of Saskatchewan’s continued support of the McIlvenna Bay Project, and the CMPII is a strong example of the province’s commitment to responsible resource development that underpins Saskatchewan as Canada’s leading jurisdiction for mining investment,” Foran’s Chief Financial Officer James Steels said.
The CMPII and the Saskatchewan Critical Minerals Innovation Incentive (SCMII) are designed to drive investment, innovation and production in the province’s critical minerals sector. The CMPII and SCMII follow private investment and provide transferable royalty and freehold production tax credits on eligible project costs. Both programs support the goal of doubling the number of critical minerals produced in the province by 2030 as outlined in Saskatchewan’s Critical Minerals Strategy.
Saskatchewan is the largest primary producer of critical minerals in Canada and has 27 of the 34 critical minerals on Canada’s list. Saskatchewan is the world’s leading potash producer, the world’s second largest uranium producer and Canada’s largest helium producer. Saskatchewan is seeing strong growth in other critical minerals with Foran’s mine nearing production and other lithium and helium projects advancing.
Saskatchewan continues to rank as the top region in Canada for mining investment attractiveness, according to the Fraser Institute’s Annual Survey of Mining Companies. Mining continues to play a key role in the provincial economy, with planned investment of over $7 billion in 2025 and providing direct employment to over 11,000 people.
Link to CMPII, SCMII and Critical Minerals Strategy.
Upcoming Industry Events
Webinar: Road Impact Wetland Health Assessments in Northern British Columbia
October 21st, 2025
Katerina Sofos, M.Sc, Wetlands Practitioner – BC Wildlife Federation
The Road Impact Wetland Health Assessment Tool (RIWHA) was developed to raise awareness about the impacts of road construction and hydro development on wetlands. In northern B.C., wetlands often receive little attention regarding the effects of roads. The tool was first applied in 2023, focusing on the Williston Reservoir area, initiated by the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP). One of our key goals is to support restoration-focused wetland management. In 2023, we successfully identified and began restoration work at a site near McLeod Lake, just south of Mackenzie. This year, our focus has been on refining RIWHA by expanding its application beyond the Williston Reservoir and collaborating with additional northern B.C. communities. Through this effort, we’re learning more about how roads impact wetlands and how to advocate for better land use decisions. Common wetland impacts we’ve encountered this year include ditching, poorly installed culverts, lack of visual buffers, streambank erosion, debris from cutblocks, and disturbances from old seismic lines. Through partnerships and shared learning, we’re deepening our understanding of these issues and look forward to spreading this knowledge across the province.
Website Link To Register: https://www.cclmportal.ca/
GRF Fall Field Tour – SW Alberta
October 1st, 2025
A tour of montane and foothills grassland restoration projects, including Leitch Collieries, grassland recovery post fire and post seed harvesting, seeding techniques, and a tour of native plant nursery, Grumpy’s Greenhouse! A great opportunity to network and learn from what others are doing. Bus transportation provided. Register on the Grassland Restoration Forum website. This event sold out in 2024, sign up early to secure your spot.
Website Link To Register: https://
If you need to approve the event you can do so by clicking on the link below.
GRF Fall Field Tour – SW Alberta
ESAA Job Board
Check out the new improved ESAA Job Board. Members can post ads for free.
Current Listings:
- Senior Technical Specialist – Summit
- Reclamation Specialist – AECOM
- Intermediate/Senior Environmental Specialist – Summit
- Intermediate Environmental Specialist – Summit
- Intermediate/Senior Environmental Specialist – Summit
- Junior Data Entry Consultant – North Shore Environmental Consultants
- Project Coordinator – Pinchin
- Intermediate Level, Remediation and Risk Management Services – Remedx Remediation Services
- Junior Environmental Scientist – Arletta Environmental Consulting Corp