Canada’s provinces and territories have clearly formed a peloton in the 2012 Corporate Knights Green Provincial Report Card, with Ontario and British Columbia leading the pack and Alberta and Saskatchewan struggling to keep up. But no one has yet broken away in the race to become Canada’s greenest province or territory.

We evaluated their environmental performance using a series of 35 indicators grouped into seven categories: air and climate, water, nature, transportation, waste, energy and buildings, and innovation. Building on previous CK green province reports, this year’s ranking methodology used the most current available data (ranging from 2008 to 2011). Much of it came through federal sources that allowed for direct comparisons between Canada’s 13 jurisdictions. One major source was Environment Canada’s new Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) database, which was just made publicly accessible last year.

Our aim is to give readers a snapshot of the environmental health and resource productivity of our provinces and territories, and in doing so give a sense of how serious each jurisdiction is in dealing with such challenges. As you read, it is important to note that these indicators are influenced not just by past provincial policy decisions, but also by municipal and federal policies. They also don’t reflect the impacts of relatively new policies and programs, which will no doubt affect the conclusions of future reports.

Here is a look at who’s leading the way in each category.

Air and climate

With a score of 87 per cent, the territory of Yukon secured top spot in this category by ranking first in four of nine indicators. Most notably, Yukon has reduced its greenhouse-gas emissions by 41.3 per cent between 1990 and 2009, greatly exceeding the Kyoto target of 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. Per dollar of GDP it also has the lowest levels of fine particulate, mercury and chromium emissions.

Ontario, which scored 83 per cent, stood out as the top province by having the highest GDP per kilotonne of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted, and among the highest GDP per megatonne of GHG emissions. Ontario, like the Yukon, is the only other jurisdiction to achieve Kyoto compliance.

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Water

Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) ranked first with a score of 80 per cent, taking top spot in half of the category indicators. Perhaps unsurprising for a sparsely populated jurisdiction, all monitored stations in N.W.T. were observed to have normal or high water quantity. Most impressive was N.W.T.’s water productivity. It had the highest GDP per litre of water use, with Alberta following closely behind.

The two provinces, however, with the highest overall score in this category were Saskatchewan and Manitoba, each scoring 78 per cent. They showed low counts of toxins released into water supplies and high rates per capita of secondary wastewater treatment.

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Nature

The Yukon (82 per cent) and Alberta (81 per cent) scored significantly higher than others, each ranking first in two indicators. The Yukon ranked tops when it came to preserving the ecological integrity of its national parks. It also shared top spot with Alberta (and P.E.I.) by achieving greater than one visit per capita at its national parks in the 2010/2011 season.

Alberta – along with Quebec and Ontario – also had the highest percentage of forestland protected under the FSC-certified management indicator, with 5,656,930 hectares FSC-certified in 2010. B.C. has the most overall protected areas, followed closely by Alberta.

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Transportation

Nunavut scored 95 per cent here, putting it far above all other provinces and territories. Kilometres driven per capita for both light duty (940.3 km) and heavy duty (62.7 km) vehicles were well below the national average of 9,069 km and 639.8 km, respectively. This may be partially explained by the lack of road and highway infrastructure in the territory. Only British Columbia came close to Nunavut’s transportation performance – at least with respect to heavy vehicles, which in the province travelled an average of 132.9 km per capita.

Manitoba and Newfoundland had the highest fuel efficiency for heavy duty vehicles, while Quebec and Nova Scotia had the most fuel-efficient light duty vehicle fleets.

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Waste

With a score of 71 per cent Nova Scotia came out clearly on top, showing the highest efficiency in the area of waste disposal. The province earned $80,000 in GDP for every tonne of disposed waste, making it twice as efficient as lowest-ranking provinces Manitoba and Quebec. No data was available for the territories.

Nova Scotia also scored relatively well for its waste diversion efforts. The province diverted 308 kg of material per capita annually, exceeding the national average of 251 kg/capita diversion and well within striking distance of leaders B.C. and New Brunswick.

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Energy and buildings

Many provinces and territories are struggling in this category and there is no clear front-runner. Overall winner B.C. scored a lacklustre 60 per cent. It didn’t get highest score in any single indicator but was relatively strong across most of them. It received 89 per cent of its electricity generation from a combination of hydroelectric, wind, solar and other renewables, and had a total of 9,820 grant applications for the ecoENERGY home retrofit program last year, working out to about 22 applications per 10,000 people – higher than the national average.

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Innovation

On the other hand, B.C. was the clear leader in the category of innovation with an overall score of 93 per cent. It achieved a very high grade for both the amount of venture capital its green technology businesses are attracting and the number of cleantech companies per capita that call the province home. Between 2002 and 2011 venture capitalists have invested over $138 per capita in B.C.’s green startups; only Ontario comes close to this with an average investment of $80.50 per capita. With 160 cleantech companies in total at the end of 2011, B.C. also has one of the highest numbers of companies per capita.

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Where do we go from here?

In at least one of the seven categories in our 2012 Green Provinces Report Card we see the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Nunavut, Nova Scotia and B.C. leading the way. Ontario didn’t lead any single category, so how did it come out on top overall?

No one province or territory excels in every category, similar to cyclists in le Tour. Some achieve highest or second highest scores in one category, but lowest scores in other categories. Ontario and B.C. both topped our 2012 ranking because they achieved highest or second highest scores in multiple categories, and have no extremely low scores. Even so, out of an ideal overall grade of 100 per cent Ontario achieved only 61 per cent and B.C. achieved a grade of 60 per cent, which relative to other provinces gave them an A– letter grade.

There’s room to do so much better. CK has calculated that if all provinces and territories got the highest score in each of the seven categories measured in our 2012 report, the Canadian average would be 86 per cent, making our nation more than just an excellent student. Indeed, it would put us in the category of green economy genius.

It’s clearly doable. For each indicator of each category, it has already been done by at least one province or territory. To pursue such best practices on a national scale, however, will require much greater cooperation, collaboration, and information sharing than experienced so far.

Behind that is the belief that each and every province and territory can achieve continued economic prosperity without needless sacrifice to the environment, and the natural capital necessary to sustain our long-term well-being.

Click here to go back to the ranking landing page.

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British Columbia:

Strengths:

A green-energy powerhouse that gets 89 per cent of its electricity from renewables and is a hotbed for clean technology innovation. In the area of transportation, B.C. is the province with the lowest vehicle-kilometres travelled per capita, for both heavy duty and light duty vehicles. B.C. is also one of the least wasteful provinces, with a relatively high GDP per tonne of waste disposed and one of the highest waste diversion rates in the country.

Weaknesses:

Gets low grade for water and could do much more to lower GHGs and other pollutants. B.C. had the lowest number of water stations with “normal” or “high” water quantity, a poor water quality score, and less than 60 per cent of its population is served with secondary wastewater treatment. GDP per kilotonne of GHG and non-GHG emissions are mostly above the national average, but not reflective of a province blessed with vast green-energy resources.

Alberta:

Strengths:

Rates high in the nature category with 12.4 per cent of land given protected status to conserve habitat of ecological importance. Also tops in percentage of forest land certified under Forest Stewardship Council and has relatively high visits per capita to national parks. In water category, is province with highest GDP per litre of water used. It hosts an above-average number of clean technology companies, while nearly 10 per cent of new housing starts are “green homes,” ahead of most provinces.

Weaknesses:

Low energy productivity, highest residential energy use per capita, and province with least amount of renewables in electricity mix at 5.72 per cent. Province with the highest number of kilometres travelled per capita, for both heavy duty and light duty vehicles. Second-highest GHGs per capita and second-lowest carbon productivity, reflecting oil sands growth and heavy dependence on fossil fuels for electricity generation. This is also reflected by high emissions of non-GHG pollutants, including NOx, VOCs and chromium.

Saskatchewan:

Strengths:

Performs well in water category. Has relatively low releases of mercury, lead and cadmium into water systems, and has secondary wastewater treatment for more than 90 per cent of population. Virtually all monitored water stations report normal or high quantities with fairly average quality ratings. Citizens keen on home efficiency. Province had highest number of applications per capita for the 2011/12 ecoENERGY home retrofit program.

Weaknesses:

Saskatchewan has one of the lowest GDPs per tonne of waste disposed and one of the lowest waste diversion rates in country. It has lowest energy productivity, the second-highest residential energy use per capita, and an electricity system heavily dependent on coal. Province with the second-highest number of kilometres travelled per capita for light duty vehicles and third-highest for heavy duty vehicles. Has highest GHGs per capita, lowest carbon productivity score, and saw highest growth of GHG emissions in the country between 1990 and 2009.

Manitoba:

Strengths:

Like Saskatchewan, Manitoba is a high performer in the water category, but also does well in energy. It has relatively high GDP per litre of water used and 98 per cent of population has secondary wastewater treatment. As well, all water monitoring stations show normal or high levels and there is below-average release of toxins. Manitoba’s electricity mix is virtually 100 per cent renewable.

Weaknesses:

Its economy is wasteful. It only produces $40,000 in GDP for every tonne of waste disposed – putting it tied for last place with Quebec – and it has the lowest waste diversion per capita in Canada. In transportation, its heavy-duty vehicle fleet averages second-highest kilometres travelled per capita (provinces only) and has the lowest fuel efficiency in the country. Its national parks, meanwhile, score lowest on ecological integrity.

Ontario:

Strengths:

Still on a path to phase out coal power and phase in more renewables, Ontario already scores high in air and climate. It generates the most GDP per kilotonne of NOx, VOCs, and particulates, and for every megatonne of CO2-equivalent GHGs. It has reduced GHGs by 6.5 per cent since 1990, making it the only province to reach Kyoto emission-reduction targets. It gets high marks for building green homes and embracing energy retrofits for old ones, and is a clean technology leader.

Weaknesses:

Waste diversion per capita is below the national average. Among provinces, it has the lowest visits per capita to national parks. Its residential sector’s energy use per capita is slightly below the national average. In the area of water, it scores near the bottom because of high levels of mercury, lead and cadmium releases relative to the other provinces.

Quebec:

Strengths:

The province scores well in the air and climate category, having reduced its GHG emissions by 1.9 per cent since 1990. Also leads the country with the lowest GHG levels per capita. An emphasis on boreal forest protection has led to over 50 per cent of its forests being FSC certified. Hydro-electric power continues to power the province, with 97 per cent of energy generation coming from renewable sources. Light vehicles are fuel efficient, burning 9.9 litres per 100 km.

Weaknesses:

Quebec receives lowest water score by maintaining poor water quality, releasing large amounts of mercury, lead and cadmium into streams and rivers, and consuming 706 litres of water a day per capita. National park visitation is sporadic, with under 1.5 million visits last year. The waste score is reduced due to the province being tied with Manitoba in generating the highest levels of waste compared to GDP output. Chromium emissions are elevated in the air and climate category.

New Brunswick:

Strengths:

Earns high grade in transportation, with lowest levels of heavy duty vehicle usage after B.C. New Brunswick is competitive on waste, with highest rate of diverted material per capita annually. The province’s water quality leads the nation, and it has the greatest percentage of cumulative species that are not in danger at 88 per cent. The population, along with that of Saskatchewan, took the greatest advantage of the federal
ecoENERGY home retrofit program.

Weaknesses:

Only 3.1 per cent of the province qualifies as a protected nature area, and there are no FSC certified forests. New Brunswick uses greatest amount of water per capita, and residential consumption is high. Inefficient levels of GHG per capita push air and climate scores down, along with elevated sulphur oxide and mercury emissions. Low energy productivity, along with inefficient residential energy use, places the province in front of only Alberta and Saskatchewan in energy category.

Nova Scotia:

Strengths:

Leads all provinces in waste management, mixing the most efficient levels of waste disposal per capita with a high diversion rate. National parks within provincial boundaries have the greatest ecological integrity, and cumulative species status score is high as well. Residential energy use per capita is tied for second in efficiency, and the province is home to greatest percentage of new green certified housing starts. It also maintains the third-largest number of cleantech companies per capita.

Weaknesses:

Nova Scotia has third-lowest air and climate score, due to GHG emissions growing 10.5 per cent since 1990, low levels of GHG efficiency, and elevated sulphur oxide levels. Energy ranking was affected by small amount of electricity generation, 12 per cent, being derived from renewables. Municipal wastewater treatment levels are low in the province, with only 31 per cent of residents living in areas with secondary wastewater treatment facilities or better.

Prince Edward Island:

Strengths:

Rates third on air and climate, with low GHG emissions per capita. The province has reduced its GHG emissions by 3.4 per cent since 1990. By treating 100 per cent of municipal wastewater and releasing no lead, cadmium or mercury, it is ranked third on its water score as well. Prince Edward Island is tied with Manitoba in generating the most energy, 99 per cent, from renewable sources, though this is largely because other sources of energy are bought from neighbouring provinces.

Weaknesses:

The province is ranked third from the bottom on nature, with smallest amount of protected area set aside, and the second-lowest cumulative species status score. Transportation category is affected by significant use of the least fuel-efficient heavy vehicles in the country. Water quality is poor, tied with Manitoba for the second-lowest rating after Quebec. Cleantech position is lowered because P.E.I. is one of only two provinces that has received no venture capital investments since 2002.

Newfoundland & Labrador:

Strengths:

Competitive in several nature categories, maintaining the strongest levels of ecological integrity in national parks, the second-highest score in species protection, and a high volume of Parks Canada visitation. In the transportation category, heavy vehicles in Newfoundland are second in fuel efficiency. They are driven rarely, at an average of 437 km per capita. The 97 per cent of electricity generation coming from renewables boosts its energy ranking.

Weaknesses:

Newfoundland has the lowest innovation score due to the lack of venture capital investment over the past decade, as well as containing the smallest number of cleantech companies per capita of any province. Water quality and treatment is low, as only 7.9 per cent of the population has secondary wastewater treatment or better. The province’s nature indicators suffer as a result of no FSC certified forests, and just 4.6 per cent of land being designated as a protected area.

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