Canada's Coolest Cities
"What are Canada's large cities doing to encourage low-carbon choices for personal transportation?" Canada's Coolest Cities, a new Pembina Institute report, answers this question through case studies of Canada's six largest urban areas: 
Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.
The study found that the City of Vancouver has demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability, with plans to become the Greenest City in the World by 2020. As of 2008, Vancouver had reduced its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels, while its population grew by 27%.
However, the Vancouver Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which covers a much larger geographical area and population, has not achieved the same success. The Vancouver CMA has a much lower share of commuters using transit, bikes or walking than the City of Vancouver.
For more detailed findings on Vancouver, read the Vancouver Case Study. For the complete study results, visit the Coolest Cities web page.
Leading the Way to Greener Buildings
Local governments in British Columbia are working together to design and implement new green building policies. Participating local governments include Campbell River, Dawson Creek, Delta, Regional District of Nanaimo, City of North Vancouver, Prince George, Smithers, Terrace, West Vancouver, and Whistler.
The Municipal Green Building Leaders project will focus on three innovative green building regulations:
- Energy performance standards for homes and buildings that are for sale or undergoing major renovations;
- Renewable energy requirements for new homes and buildings; and
- Higher energy performance standards for new homes and buildings.
The project is an excellent opportunity for local governments that want to be leaders on climate change solutions. Participants will go beyond current provincial regulation, reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions and setting the stage for province-wide change. For more information about the Green Building Leaders project, visit www.greenbuildingleaders.ca.
Opening the Door for Oil Sands Expansion
The proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway project would result in a 30% increase in average daily oil sands output, according to a new report by the Pembina Institute. However, the environmental assessment of the project will ignore impacts associated with increased oil sands production, such as increased greenhouse gas emissions, according to the final Terms of Reference.
The proposed project would transport petroleum products from the Alberta oil sands to the British Columbia coast via a 1,200-kilometre pipeline. The Pembina Institute report, Opening the Door for Oil Sands Expansion: The Hidden Environmental Impacts of the Enbridge Gateway Pipeline, found that the new pipeline capacity would result in the production of an additional 367,500 barrels of oil each day.
The oil sands are already Canada's fastest growing source of greenhouse gas pollution. Oil sands production related to the Enbridge pipeline would produce an estimated 6.5 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year, equivalent to putting another 1.6 million cars on the road.
Read the fact sheet / report / media release.
Oil and Salmon Don't Mix 
A new report commissioned by the Pembina Institute has found that the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines pose serious risks to salmon in northern British Columbia. If the project proceeds, more than 700,000 barrels of petroleum products would cross the rivers, mountains and valleys of northern British Columbia each day.
The new report, Pipelines and Salmon in Northern British Columbia: Potential Impacts, found that the greatest threat to salmon comes from the potential for a pipeline leak or rupture. "Experience suggests it is not a question of whether or not a pipeline failure will happen," says Karen Campbell, Staff Counsel with the Pembina Institute. "It is a question of when and where — and how badly it will impact the environment."
The Pembina Institute has called for a public inquiry to fully examine the potential impacts of the proposed Enbridge oil sands pipelines.
Read the media release / fact sheet / report / op-ed.
