Canada and Australia - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 136

135,000 square miles of valleys, and bring roads to virgin forests and taiga.
The power would be the equivalent of three times the power station at
Niagara Falls. Although ambitious, the project was not cost-effective, even
according to engineering studies at the time. And these studies did not
consider the environmental impact. Most of the Cree Indians living in
the region opposed the project as disruptive to their culture. Besides the
damage to nature, the project was generating more electricity than it could
sell. Much was exported to the United States, but even that market became
saturated. The two difficulties combined to cause the government to sus-
pend further construction in 1994.
Air pollution is a major problem throughout Canada. Its energy con-
sumption per capita is the highest in the world, even higher than the
United States, and more than twice Russia, Britain, France, Germany,
and other industrial countries. Four factors explain this. First, Canada
produces abundant oil and natural gas so it tends to be cheap. Second,
distances are great for auto and airplane travel. Third, the need for space
heating is great. And fourth, it favors a lifestyle of urban sprawl and big
automobiles and trucks. Most air pollution comes from automobiles, with
Ontario producing the greatest amount by far. The country also has much
heavy industry like petroleum refining and metal smelting. Recently,
it has begun to produce oil from the tar sands in Alberta, which uses a lot
of energy and produces much pollution.
Controlling air pollution is a function shared by the national and pro-
vincial governments. The national level in Ottawa establishes nonbinding
guidelines for ambient air based on science, called National Air Quality
Objectives. The provinces have the option of adopting them as binding.
Although the national-level Environmental Protection Act allows the min-
ister to declare a substance toxic, he has not done so. Because the national
law does not authorize enforcement, an alternative path has been to have
the Council of Environmental Ministers develop programs. In 1990
the Council approved a Management Plan to address ozone that causes
smog. This was done in consultation with industry and environmen-
tal groups. Unfortunately, this was not effective, so in 1997 the national
government proposed a Phase 2 Federal Smog Management Plan. The next
year the Council adopted the Canada Wide Accord on Environmental
Harmonization. Legal critics have challenged this as exceeding the author-
ity of the council and being unconstitutional. Environmental critics believe
it has not moved very fast or been very effective. Moreover, Quebec did not
sign the accord, although it has participated in parallel implementation.