5. Questions & Answers

A1. At the time the audit was conducted, during the 2020-21 cycle, TC’s emissions came from marine vessels (including four ferries) (68% (32,795 tCO2e)), aircraft (17% (8,158 tCO2e)), facilities (10% (4,963 tCO2e)), on-road vehicles (2% (916 tCO2e)), and Other Mobile Equipment such as snowplows (3% (1,350 tCO2e))

Supplemental Response if asked about TC’s most recent (2021-22) GHG emission results

Since the tabling of the audit, TC’s emission results from 2021-22 have been collected and the departmental emissions portfolio is now 72% (41,510 tCO2e) from marine vessels, 14% (8,057 tCO2e) from aircraft, 8% (4,843 tCO2e) from facilities, 3% (1,633 tCO2e) from on-road vehicles, and 2% (1,286 tCO2e) from other mobile equipment.

A2. At the time the audit was conducted, the Government of Canada as a whole had reduced emissions by 40.6% (731,000 tCO2e) in 2020-21 below 2005-2006 levels.

During this period of 2020-21, TC emissions reductions were 23% (14,815 tCO2e) lower than 2005-2006 levels. More specifically, TC saw the following emissions reductions from 2005-2006 levels for its assets:

• 8% (2,685 tCO2e) from marine vessels
• 40% (5,419 tCO2e) from aircraft
• 28% (1,961 tCO2e) from facilities
• 47% (801 tCO2e) from on-road fleet
• 75% (3,951 tCO2e) from Other Mobile Equipment

Supplemental Response if asked about TC’s most recent emission results

Since the tabling of the audit, TC’s 2021-22 emission results have been collected and the total emission reduction reported is 9% (5,668 tCO2e) from 2005-2006 levels. More specifically, in 2021-22, TC has seen the following emissions changes from 2005-2006 levels for its assets:

• an increase of 17% (6,030 tCO2e) from marine vessels
• a decrease of 41% (5,520 tCO2e) from aircraft
• a decrease of 30% (2,081 tCO2e) from facilities
• a decrease of 20% (84 tCO2e) from on-road fleet
• a decrease of 76% (4,015 tCO2e) from Other Mobile Equipment

A3. Yes. Transport Canada has a Carbon Neutral Roadmap and updates it as required by identifying and including new short- and long-term actions that will significantly contribute to emission reductions.

This plan, called Getting to Net Zero: A Road Map for TC to Achieve Net Zero Carbon Operations, incorporates internal asset plans, concurrent policies, such as TC’s Adaptation Plan and National Ship Building Strategy, and includes macroeconomic indicators.

Going forward, TC’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap will be updated as required to incorporate new technologies, any new relevant policies and programs.

To support implementation, an annual report will be produced to identify the actions implemented and not implemented as part of the plan.

A4. TC has implemented or is in the process of implementing the following:

• Low Carbon Fuel
  • TC is participating in the Low Carbon Fuel Procurement Program, a TBS-led program to procure low carbon marine diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.
• Facilities
  • Major renovations or new constructions, built to Net Zero Carbon, at multiple facilities.
  • Leverage future energy cost savings to replace capital equipment at 4 airports and 5 ferry terminals, resulting in a 40% GHG emission reductions at those facilities, starting in 2024.
  • Studies to enhance mitigation and adaptation across all sites resulting in GHG reductions. For example, Sept-Iles Airport saw a 93% reduction of GHG after implementing recommendations.
• Vehicles and Charging stations
  • TC only purchases ZEVs, where operationally feasible. 30% (87 vehicles) of the light duty fleet is now ZEVs
  • 17% of TC facilities have at least 1 charging station (72 charging stations)
  • TC is coordinating internally and interdepartmentally to optimize delivery of future charging stations.
• Ferries
  • Design work on the two new ferries to replace the MV Holiday Island and MV Madeleine continues to progress. Concept design is nearly completed, and Preliminary Design is expected to be completed by June 2023. The two new ferries are expected to be state-of-the art and operational in 2027/2028 and 2028/2029.
  • The propulsion systems for the new vessels will be diesel-electric hybrids with podded propulsors and energy storage systems (i.e., batteries) of approximately 6 MWh capacity at delivery and expandable to 12-14MWh in the future.
  • TC is exploring options to reduce GHG emissions in the meantime from the existing ferries, including the potential future use of low carbon fuels and conducting energy audits to find additional ways to reduce emissions.

A5. For each of the assets in TC’s portfolio, the Carbon Neutral Roadmap identifies and quantifies GHG reduction measures.

The bulk of the remaining GHG emission reductions are from:

• Operational changes, including divesting or demolishing assets, and optimizing operations of the existing assets.
• Fuel switching from fossil fuels to low-carbon electricity, if possible
• Leveraging clean power, both electricity and low carbon fuels.

If all measures are implemented, they are projected to reduce GHG emissions by 73% by 2050, compared to the 2005-2006 levels.

Remaining emissions

The remaining emissions are associated with ferries, aircrafts, and facilities in Iqaluit, NU and Kuujjuaq, QC.

The ferries and aircraft face technological limitations.

The facilities in the locations indicated are not currently projected to have a low-carbon electricity source by 2050.

Carbon Offsets

TC may need to purchase carbon removals offsets or credits to achieve net zero, but the quantities and associated costs are not yet defined.

A6. Transport Canada recognizes that meeting the 2050 net-zero target will be challenging due to its complex fleet portfolio.

In order to capture significant risks which could prevent the Department from reaching the Greening Government Strategy emission targets, Transport Canada is developing a risk management framework which will identify corresponding mitigation measures. The objective is to have the framework in place by 31 March 2023. This framework will complement the Carbon Neutral Roadmap.

A7. TC will explore the other reporting mechanisms available within the department to determine how and where more context can be reported on its emissions reductions.

A8. Key considerations with regard to the design and construction of the new replacement ferries include:

• reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the greatest extent possible at delivery and the best approach for reductions in the future; and
• reducing underwater radiated noise (URN).

In this context, the propulsion systems for the new vessels will be diesel-electric hybrids with podded propulsors and energy storage systems (i.e., batteries) of approximately 6 MWh capacity at delivery and expandable to 12-14MWh in the future.  This is expected to significantly reduce GHG emissions and underwater noise when the vessels are delivered compared to the existing fleet. As part of future refit to expand the energy storage system, the MV Holiday Island replacement is expected to operate on batteries only at its slower service speed. Space reservations are also being included for hydrogen fuel cells as part of the design process in the event that this technology could be implemented as part of a future refit.

A9. Preliminary analysis suggests that the replacement vessel for the MV Holiday Island would result in a 40% reduction in GHG emissions when it is delivered compared to the current vessel. As part of a future refit, the new vessel is expected to operate on batteries only, and therefore would produce almost no GHG emissions.

Preliminary analysis suggests that the MV Jean Lapierre will reduce GHG emissions by approximately 35% when the vessel is delivered compared to the MV Madeleine II. 

Once the new vessels come into service, it is estimated that total GHG emissions from TC’s ferries fleet will be reduced by roughly 25%.

The MV Confederation and MV Fundy Rose are both past the mid-point of their service lives. A decision on replacement vessels will be made at a future date. 

A10. Transport Canada continues to explore options that could be implemented to reduce GHGs from its fleet of ferries, including the potential future use of low carbon fuels.

A11. TC’s aircrafts are used for long flights and do not have regular flight paths.

Current technology trends suggest fully electric aircrafts will only be feasible for short distance and regular flight paths. Hybrid aircrafts are projected to meet TC’s needs by the end of 2020’s or early 2030’s, depending on battery innovation, sector adoption, costs, and availability.

TC is currently reviewing operational requirements for each aircraft in its fleet, which will inform future replacement approaches.

A12 From the technical specifications a Dash 8 burns 1200 lbs/hr and our Starliner RPAS burns 40 lbs/ hr of fuel at cruise altitude. Therefore, on average the Starliner RPAS burns 96% less fuel per hour.

A13 Depending on the results from TC’s Remote Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) and any associated regulations, TC’s aircraft GHG emissions may be impacted. 

The RPAS acquisition is a proof of concept to determine how uncrewed aircraft can augment the NASP program. At present, there are no air regulations, build standards or operational standards for RPAS of the scale and complexity of the Elbit Starliner being procured by Canada. All flight operations take place under a Special Flight Operation Certificate. Therefore, it is equally important to ensure we have a robust RPAS Task Force to develop future regulations.

Our RPAS operations will help to inform the development of those regulations.

Ultimately the RPAS will conduct surveillance missions for ice reconnaissance, pollution patrol, fisheries patrol, marine mammal protection, infrastructure inspection, domestic security and search and rescue operations. The RPAS has the ability to stay aloft for extended periods and the installed sensors can surveil vast areas with lower fuel consumption and GHG emissions than a traditional aircraft.

At the conclusion of the project, the team will make recommendations as to the size, type and number of RPAS that would be required for a future program. On average, total costs to mount an RPAS operation of this scale is $15,000 - $20,000/ day.

A14. Transport Canada is committed to meeting the Government’s goal of electrifying the entire federal fleet of light duty vehicles by 2030.

Transport Canada has demonstrated its commitment to the Greening Strategy by leading the government in the purchase of Zero Emission Vehicles in 2020-2021. This has resulted in Transport Canada having the highest number of ZEV vehicles as a percentage of its total vehicle fleet (30%).

Transport Canada is continuously strengthening its light duty vehicle action plan, including further vehicle fleet and charging station investments, emissions tracking, risk analysis and detailed reporting.

The department has prioritized investments in Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) over the past few years as detailed in Table 1 and is making significant progress in converting the composition of its fleet.

A15. Transport Canada is exploring options to replace it’s medium- and heavy-duty fleet, as well as all other operational equipment to leverage zero emission options. For example, Transport Canada is in early stages of a project to replace 4 airport operational vehicles (a snowblower, a grader, and two tractors) with innovative low-carbon vehicles, with support from the Treasury Board Secretariat.

A16. TC’s facilities are aging, presenting an opportunity to renew the real property portfolio. Numerous TC owned offices, airports, ferry terminals and hangars have recently undergone or are in the process of major renovations or new constructions. TC is reducing energy demand and fuel switching through energy efficiency measures, including lighting replacements, ventilation reviews, replacing fossil fuel heating systems with electric ones, and addressing deferred maintenance, where possible.

All new construction and major renovations at TC meet the GGS commitments to be Net Zero Carbon, unless a life-cycle cost-benefit analysis indicates net-zero-carbon-ready construction. TC has incorporated these requirements in existing processes and tools to ensure these requirements are met.

TC has implemented a number of studies to identify mitigation and adaptation measures for most of TC’s sites. For example, Sept-Iles Airport saw a 93% reduction of GHG emissions after implementing recommissioning measures including, but not limited to servicing the electric boiler and back up fuel boiler to working order, finding and fixing air and water leaks in all systems, and changing the scheduling for the heating and cooling systems.

TC is also looking at ways to reduce environmental impacts beyond carbon, including waste, water and biodiversity. 

A17. TC has implemented the Green Procurement Policy.

• TC has implemented mandatory green procurement training for all procurement officers and acquisition cardholders.
• TC has updated its departmental Green Procurement guidance
• TC is one of the pilot departments for the Climate Lens, that applies to MC, Budget proposals and other funding vehicles.
• TC has integrated considerations into its internal capital expenditure processes to account for GHG emission reduction opportunities.
• TC has specific programs to reduce GHG emissions from procurement:
  • TC continues to migrate all paper-based processes to paperless processes.
  • TC continues to migrate all IT digital infrastructure to the cloud to improve efficiencies and lower GHGs.