Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
The co-chair of an expert panel designed to advise Canada on how to reach net-zero emissions says it is exploring the idea of creating budgets for greenhouse gas emissions.
Dan Wicklum says the net-zero advisory body authored a report summarizing what other groups in Canada and beyond have said about ways to neutralize carbon-related emissions by 2050.
The Liberal government recently passed legislation enshrining this target into law, meaning by that year, any greenhouse gas emissions still being released must be offset by other measures.
A group of 14 experts with backgrounds in climate, labour and business were assembled to provide the government with advice and recommendations on how to reach its new goal.
The expert panel's first report says one of the principles that will inform the panel's future work is the need to “act urgently” and not wait too long to make steeper emissions cuts.
“If you want to create a pathway to net-zero, don't start with increasing emissions in the short term, and then promising to have deep cuts closer to 2050,” said Wicklum, who is president and CEO of the Transition Accelerator, a charitable organization.
In April, Canada increased its climate targets by promising to cut its carbon-related emissions by 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels, which is deeper than the 20 per cent the country committed to as part of the Paris Agreement.
Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has said Canada is currently on track to reduce its emissions levels by 36 per cent by 2030, and the work to make up the difference is ongoing.
The panel found the plans most likely to hit net-zero “are the ones that start now, use a carbon budget as a basic tool, and increase ambition to keep the 2050 goal within reach.”
Generally, a carbon budget sets how many cumulative carbon-related emissions are allowed within a certain amount of time, which the report says means pollution has to fall to a certain level by a particular year.
The Green Party of Canada had pushed the Liberal government to ink carbon budgeting into its more ambitious climate goals, saying countries such as the United Kingdom use this policy to stay on track for its emission-reductions goals.
Wicklum said that while the panel isn't recommending Canada adopt such a policy, carbon budgets are one way to measure progress.
“Intuitively people understand budgets,” he said.
“So the concept of a carbon budget is definitely something we'll be exploring.”
The Opposition Conservatives have panned the advisory panel as being stacked with so-called “climate activists,” which it says threatens to provide advice that will harm the country's oil and gas sector, already hit with job losses.
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, along with 115 of his MPs, recently voted against the passage of the government's net-zero legislation, known as Bill C-12, which sets rolling five-year emissions targets to reach 2050. The Conservative party was the only opposition party to do so.
“The C-12 vote was not a plan. It was actually just more showmanship by Justin Trudeau,” O'Toole said in a recent video shared on social media.
Wicklum said more than 120 countries have set a goal to hit net-zero by 2050 and the issue is not one that pits the provinces or Western Canada against Ottawa.
“When I think of the oil and gas sector, they need to drive to net-zero because of this global imperative, not simply because of what the current national government is thinking,” he said, adding the advisory panel doesn't represent specific interests.
Wicklum says the sector is Canada's top emitter and noted there are expansion plans for the oilsands.
“They're working hard to reduce their emissions intensity, but because they have plans to increase their production, their emissions are set to increase, which is not well aligned with the concept of getting to net-zero. But that's the reality of that sector.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2021.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
This Mother's Day Weekend, take a look at some of the most emotional movies inspired by moms.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.