This report highlights fossil fuel lock-in in Eastern Canada mapping the extensive existing and proposed fossil fuel exploration, extraction, transportation, refining distribution and consumption infrastructure in the four Atlantic provinces and Québec. Despite Eastern Canada being highly invested in oil and gas production, the region is often left out of energy policy discussions typically focused on Western provinces.
The authors highlight:
- Newfoundland and Labrador is the third-largest oil-producing province in the country with ambitions to double oil production by 2030, even as citizens advocate for an equitable transition.
- New Brunswick is home to Canada’s largest oil refinery while two of the largest four are located in Montréal and Québec City.
- Electricity in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is largely dependent on coal.
- New projects that would further “lock in” increased carbon emissions continue to be planned – 19 new extractive projects have been proposed across the five provinces since 2010. These include the Bay du Nord offshore oil platform (in development), fracked gas projects in Quebec, New Brunswick and PEI (now banned through legislation or suspended through moratorium), the Energy East pipeline (cancelled), and a gas liquification plant and export terminal in Saguenay, Quebec, among others.
This report was published in partnership with the CCPA Nova Scotia Office.
Download the English version or the French version of the report.
