Canada expands its pollution pricing rules
The federal carbon price floor was a charge of CAN$40 per ton on carbon emissions in 2021, and this fee will rise to CAN$170 per ton by 2030.
Canada
This archive collects solutions-journalism stories and progress milestones from Canada — covering health, environment, policy, community resilience, and more. Each entry highlights real developments worth knowing about.
Canada bans new handgun sales
Regulations prohibiting the sale, purchase or transfer of handguns within Canada have now taken effect, building on earlier efforts banning handgun imports.
Canada bans manufacture and import of single-use plastics
The ban includes checkout bags, cutlery, straws and food-service ware made from or containing plastics that are hard to recycle, and will come into effect by the end of 2022.
Caribou herds in British Columbia have tripled in less than a decade
Environmentalists say the mix of traditional knowledge from Indigenous elders, hands-on community engagement, and Western science offer a model for improved conservation.
British Columbia becomes first Canadian province to remove criminal penalties for possession of some hard drugs
British Columbia’s decision to decriminalize personal drug possession is one of the most significant public health pivots in Canadian history — replacing arrest with a referral to care for adults carrying small amounts of certain substances. Fear of police kept people from calling for help during overdoses, pushing drug use away from life-saving services. Evidence from Portugal and other jurisdictions suggests decriminalization paired with strong health supports can reduce overdose deaths — and a major province choosing this path adds real momentum to treating addiction as a health issue, not a crime.
Canadian government announces funding to expand access to abortion services
The Liberal government has announced more than $3.5 million in funding for two initiatives it says will improve access to abortion services and reproductive health information in Canada.
Quebec became the first jurisdiction in the world to explicitly ban oil and gas development in its territory
For two decades, citizens have mobilized against different oil and gas projects in Quebec, including shale gas in the St. Lawrence Valley and oil projects in Gaspésie.
Nigerian mom designs solar-powered cribs that put an end to baby jaundice disease
The Crib A’Glow can now be found in 500 hospitals across Nigeria and neighboring Ghana. It has already been used on 300,000 babies.
British Columbia doctors can now prescribe a year-long pass to Canada’s national parks
Parks Canada says it’s backing a nature prescription program so doctors and nurses can prescribe a Parks Canada Discovery Pass to patients suffering mental and physical health problems.
Canada pledges billions of dollars to compensate Indigenous children
$15.75 billion USD will be allotted to Indigenous children who were unfairly placed in the welfare system, faced delays in accessing services, or did not receive them at all.