On November 19, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson, introduced the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act in the House of Commons. According to the government, the legislation delivers on the government’s commitment to legislate Canada’s goal of net zero by 2050.
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The Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program, part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan, is aimed at attracting new petrochemical project investments and continuing to diversify the province’s economy while drawing directly on the province’s abundant reserves of natural gas. Many petrochemical projects use various NGLs, such as propane, butane and ethane as the primary feedstock, which may be of interest to CPA members.
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On November 9, Premier Scott Moe announced a number of changes to the provincial cabinet after receiving a renewed majority mandate in Saskatchewan’s 29th general election. The size of cabinet remains unchanged at 18.
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CPA members who transport propane via the highways in Manitoba will need to be aware that the province has amended the Speed Limits and Restricted Speed Area Regulation under the Highway Traffic Act to lower speed limits on designated provincial roads. It is thought the new speed reductions will improve the level of safety on Manitoba’s roadways.
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On November 5, 2020, Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips released his first full Ontario Budget, which has been delayed due to COVID-19. It provides an economic platform that will be further developed in the next budget, set for March 2021.
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The Ontario government’s recent launch of Supply Ontario, a new centralized procurement agency that will enable a whole-of-government approach to purchasing goods and services, could provide a foray into support for propane vehicles for government fleets in the future.
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Premier Dennis King and his Progressive Conservatives are now in full control of the legislative agenda at the PEI legislature with PC candidate Zack Bell winning the District 10 byelection on November 2, 2020. As a result, the PCs hold 14 of the 27 seats in the legislature — enough for a slim majority.
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On November 13, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer informed Enbridge that her administration plans on terminating the easement that allows for the operation of Line 5 below the Straits of Mackinac and on to refinery and fractionation facilities in Sarnia.
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A key part of the CPA’s work to advance the propane industry is advocacy. Since the House of Commons returned in September, the CPA has been meeting with ministers’ offices and Members of Parliament.
Most recently, the CPA met with Conservative MPs who serve as Shadow Ministers. Their job is to monitor, comment and critique the federal cabinet’s performance.
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As members may recall, the CPA was invited to participate in a multi-stakeholder working group of the Ontario Ministries of Environment, Conservation and Parks and Transportation providing advice and input to the provincial government on the design of an integrated vehicle safety and emissions inspection program for heavy diesel commercial motor vehicles. These meetings give the CPA a platform to promote the consideration and adoption of propane vehicles, focusing on the presence of existing refuelling infrastructure, a critical component missing from other clean energy vehicle options.
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As members may know, the Ontario government is transitioning the province’s blue box recycling system to full producer responsibility. As the next step in this process, on October 19, 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks posted a draft regulation on the Environmental Registry of Ontario for a 45-day comment period, which closes on December 3, 2020.
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The next milestone in the wind-down of the Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste program was reached recently when Stewardship Ontario (SO) notified industry stewards on October 30, 2020 that their next program invoices would be reduced. These reductions represent the second installment of fee reductions based on SO’s disbursement of surplus program funds to contributing businesses.
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Over the past two years, the CPA has monitored, intervened at, and reported upon applications and decisions of the Ontario Energy Board by natural gas providers on expansion projects in the province. The CPA continues to press government and regulators to reject natural gas expansion projects not supported by viable business cases.
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Low-emission propane is providing an important source of energy that allows restaurants to survive and stay open during the pandemic as many turn to outdoor propane heaters to keep patrons warm outside. It is unfortunate that the CBC recently ran an online story, "What the widespread use of outdoor heaters means for Toronto’s carbon footprint this winter," that favoured electric over propane heaters. The CPA quickly responded to the article, stating that, “low-emission propane is far from the fuel that is described in the story."
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Alberta has announced new targeted measures that took effect Nov. 24 and will be in place for at least three weeks. Not following mandatory restrictions could result in fines of $1,000 per ticketed offence and up to $100,000 through the courts. No indoor social gatherings are permitted, outdoor social gatherings are limited to 10 people. Mandatory masks are required in Calgary and Edmonton areas in all indoor workplaces. Employers "should" consider allowing work form home, where possible.
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Ontario is moving certain public health unit regions to new levels in the Keeping Ontario Safe and Open Framework, which includes moving Toronto and Peel into Lockdown. The province has also launched a series of education and enforcement campaigns to ensure businesses are following the rules, including requiring employers to produce their workplace safety plans.
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The Ontario government is making $300 million available to businesses required to close or significantly restrict services in areas subject to modified Stage 2 public health restrictions (Ottawa, Peel, Toronto, and York Region) or, going forward, in areas categorized as Control or Lockdown through a property tax and energy cost rebate program. Most importantly, for members and their customers, the new energy rebate program recognizes the important role propane plays in Ontario communities by explicitly naming propane as eligible for energy rebates.
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On November 17, 2020, the Ontario government announced funding of up to $250 million for COVID-19 related municipal infrastructure projects. Many of these projects could utilize low-emission propane as a clean and affordable energy solution.
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The Government of Ontario recently introduced Bill 218, Supporting Ontario’s Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020. If enacted in its current form, Bill 218 will offer liability protection for businesses that make an honest effort to follow public health guidelines and laws regarding exposure to COVID-19. The legislation would apply retroactively to COVID-19 exposures that occurred from March 17, 2020 onward and could require the dismissal of some ongoing actions. Click here to read more.
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Effective Tuesday, November 24, 2020, the Atlantic provinces have temporarily suspended the Atlantic Travel Bubble to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the region.
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In the coming weeks, the CPA will be putting in place two new forums that will provide more opportunities for CPA members to provide input into the work of the association. Two councils are being established. The first one is the Producer/Wholesaler/Transport Council and the second is the Retail Council.
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A webinar hosted by the Québec Propane Association on November 4 demonstrated that while the Québec market is challenging, significant opportunity remains for auto propane. This includes the conversion of fleets such as taxis, delivery trucks and private company vehicles, as well as the growing market of auto propane school buses where transportation solution companies and schools are increasingly seeing the benefits of choosing propane over electric to lower emissions and save money.
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On Thursday, October 22, 2020 Ontario Government Relations Director, Marcelline Riddell, joined over 200 other women and men from around the globe to share information and celebrate the successes of propane industry leaders at the Women in LPG Webinar.
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- BC Committee - October 20 Meeting
- Saskatchewan Committee - September 18 Meeting
- Auto Propane Committee - September 17 Meeting
- Manitoba Committee - February 12 Meeting
- Alberta Committee - October 15 Meeting
- Ontario Committee - September 29 Meeting
- Transportation Committee - September 15 Meeting
- Regulatory Affairs Committee - September 22 Meeting
- Atlantic Committee - September 24 Meeting
Meeting summaries can be found in the Document Centre in your online member profile. Click here to log in to your member profile.
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Date: December 15, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm EST
To attend the Committee, please contact Rob Loenhart.
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Date: March 9, 2021
Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am PST
To attend the Committee, please contact Tanis Fiss.
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Date: March 18, 2021
Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am ADT
To attend the Committee, please contact Jean-François Duguay.
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Date: March 26, 2021
Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am MDT
To attend the Committee, please contact Tanis Fiss.
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Emergency Response Assistance Canada is offering a virtual, instructor-led ICS 200 session on February 2 and 3, 2021, 9 am – 1 pm MT (course time may be adjusted depending on majority of participants’ time zones). ICS Canada certificates will be awarded upon completion of this session.
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