Quebec to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035
The move is part of the province’s $6.7 billion investment over the next five years to help it reduce its impact on climate change.
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.
Promising flu vaccine derived from tobacco plant passes clinical trials
The recent development, promises to be a huge boost to the annual fight against the seasonal flu, as plants can be engineered to produce viral proteins and cultivated at scale.
Canadian experiment giving homeless people $7500 proves promising
The New Leaf project took 115 homeless people who were confirmed not to have serious mental or substance abuse problems, and put $7,500 in the pockets of 50 of them to see if they could turn their life around. One entire year later, most recipients still had $1,000 in savings and 67% were could still feed themselves every day.
Canada to ban single-use plastic bags, straws, and cutlery in 2021
Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the next steps in the government’s plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030, including a ban on single-use plastic items such as plastic checkout bags, straws, stir sticks, six-pack rings, cutlery, and more next year.
Canada to ban assault-style weapons
Canada’s government is set to announce a ban on assault-style weapons following a deadly shooting in Nova Scotia this month that killed 22 people.
Nova Scotia will officially be home to North America’s first whale sanctuary
Nova Scotia will be the official home base to the first whale sanctuary in North America, with whales expected in the water just off the coast of Port Hilford before the end of 2021.
$500M investment means construction to start on Canada’s largest solar farm this year
The project will consist of 1.5 million solar panels that will create 500 jobs and generate about 800 million kWh per year, enough to power more than 100,000 homes.
‘World’s first’ fully-electric commercial flight takes off
Electric flight took a meaningful step toward reality when a retrofitted seaplane lifted off from Vancouver Harbor under battery power alone — no combustion engine, no direct emissions. The six-passenger de Havilland Beaver used magniX’s 750-horsepower electric motor, and operator Harbour Air aims to electrify its entire coastal fleet pending regulatory approval. The retrofit approach lets airlines transition existing aircraft rather than waiting for purpose-built planes. Range remains the honest constraint on current batteries, but for short coastal hops, that’s enough to prove the concept works and show where the next era of aviation begins.
Canada invests $175 million in nature conservation projects
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change has announced the first in a series of more than 60 conservation initiatives launching in every province and territory under Canada Nature Fund’s Target 1 Challenge.
McDonald’s tests plant-based burger in Canada
McDonald’s and Beyond Meat have teamed up to bring a new plant-based burger to North America. Announced in September, McDonald’s is conducting a 12-week test of their new plant-based burger called the P.L.T.