John Doe
The Federal Clean Fuel Regulations unfairly affect Atlantic Canadians
Atlantic Canada has one major refinery and producer of fuels serving the needs of the region.
Significant rural-based populations don’t have the option to use comprehensive urban transit systems like other Canadians.
Many required goods have to be brought into the region by trucks.
With the median after-tax annual income in the Atlantic provinces $5,000 to $9,800 below the Canadian average, residents have less financial flexibility to bear additional costs or make different choices.




Atlantic Canadians are doing their part to fight climate change.
The provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador have proven their leadership and commitment to the fight against climate change.
Every day we’re taking the necessary steps to reduce our emissions to ensure a greener future for the people of our provinces. We’re proud to be ahead of the curve when it comes to working within our jurisdictions as well as with the federal government to meet their 2030 emissions reduction targets, and we’re continuing to make investments in innovative clean technologies and develop new sources of renewable energy.
In the Atlantic provinces, we’re continuing to work at a feverish pace to decarbonize our energy production to ensure Canada remains a global leader in the fight against climate change. Our region is being increasingly hit hard by extreme weather events and unprecedented forest fires making it crystal clear how important it is for us to do our part to turn the tide.
However, we believe our region will be unfairly punished by the federal government’s price increases as we’re already investing heavily in achieving our shared emissions reduction goals. Additional cost increases will force Atlantic Canadians to reconsider how they can manage to reduce their personal carbon footprints, seeing them choose between putting food on the table and investing in more energy-efficient homes.
We’re continuing to take steps forward in our efforts to decarbonize energy production in Atlantic Canada and we plan to continue to lead the charge, but we need to do it in a fair and equitable way that does not put an unfair burden on our people and economy.
Working together with the federal government, we believe we can achieve our shared goals of reducing emissions and fighting climate change without making Atlantic Canadians pay the price.
In New Brunswick, approximately
80%
of energy comes from carbon-free sources.
Currently, over
91%
of Newfoundland and Labrador’s electricity is generated from renewable energy resources, which will increase to 98% when the oil fired Holyrood Thermal generating Station is closed.
In 2021, Maritime Electric supplied PEI customers with electricity that was
86%
non-emitting. In 2021, the utility purchased over $30 million of wind energy from on-island wind farms, which represents 19.5% of all energy supplied into its grid.
Since 2005, Nova Scotia Power has reduced the use of coal from 55% to
33%
and more than tripled the amount of renewable energy on the grid. This has reduced carbon emissions by 46%.
The Clean Fuels Regulations will cause costs to skyrocket.
+13¢/l
The implementation of the Clean Fuels Regulations will raise gasoline prices by as much as 13 cents a litre and 16 cents a litre for diesel over the next seven years – and that is on top of the increases being created by Ottawa’s carbon pricing measures.
+ 8¢/l
New Brunswick’s Energy and Utilities Board has confirmed retail gasoline and diesel prices will have an estimated eight cents per litre added to them after July 1 to pay for the new federal Clean Fuel Regulations that take effect on Canada Day. (Source: CBC News)
– 0.6%
The Clean Fuels Regulations are estimated to have negative impacts to the GDP of each province. New Brunswick’s GDP is estimated to decrease by $255 Million (0.6%) in 2030.
+ 0.62%
At the national level, in 2030, the cost of the Clean Fuels Regulations to households ranges from 0.62% of disposable income (or $231) for lower income households to 0.35% of disposable income (or $1,008) for higher income households.