Mandatory GHG Reporting for 2022–2023

Summary#

This is the Notice with respect to reporting of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for 2022 and 2023, published by Environment and Climate Change Canada under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. It requires many large industrial facilities to send detailed GHG data for the 2022 and 2023 calendar years to the government by set deadlines.

What it does#

• It requires facilities that meet the reporting rules to submit detailed emissions and activity data for 2022 and 2023.
• The notice applies when a facility emits 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq.) or more in either year, or when a facility is involved in certain listed industrial activities (see "Who's affected").
• Reports must be submitted through the ECCC Single Window system.
• Deadlines:
  • Data for 2022 must be submitted no later than June 1, 2023.
  • Data for 2023 must be submitted no later than June 3, 2024.
• Operators must keep the submitted information, supporting calculations and measurements at the facility or at the facility’s Canadian parent company for three years.
• The Minister intends to publish facility-level GHG totals by gas and source category from the submissions.
• The notice explains that reporters can ask for confidential treatment of information, but the Minister can still disclose it in certain circumstances.
• Non-compliance can lead to enforcement and fines under the Act, including fines up to $25,000 for an individual (summary) and up to $500,000 for a large corporation (indictable), with higher amounts for repeat offences.

Who's affected#

• Any operator of a facility that emitted at least 10,000 tonnes CO2 eq. in 2022 or 2023.
• Facilities in specific industrial sectors are called out for expanded, sector-specific data. These include (among others):
  • cement and lime production
  • aluminium production
  • iron and steel production and coke oven operations
  • electricity and heat generation
  • ammonia, nitric acid, hydrogen, and ethanol production
  • petroleum refining
  • pulp and paper production
  • base metal production and mining
  • Facilities involved in CO2 capture, CO2 transport, CO2 injection or CO2 storage
• The notice also covers integrated facilities, pipeline systems and offshore installations where the reporting criteria are met.
• If it is unclear whether a particular site must report, the notice sets out calculation methods and criteria operators must use to decide.

Why it matters#

• The data will feed Canada’s national greenhouse gas inventory and help officials track and compare large emitters year to year.
• For affected companies, meeting these requirements means extra record-keeping, measurement, and reporting work. That can mean time and cost for compliance and for installing or using measurement systems.
• Publication of facility-level totals increases transparency about who emits what and can influence public scrutiny, investor decisions, and policy design.
• Missing the deadlines or providing incorrect information can lead to legal penalties, so facilities need to check whether they meet the 10,000 tonnes threshold and follow the notice.