OPINION: The end of coal in Canada is near – and it’s about time – by Editorial Board (Globe and Mail – June 29, 2021)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The end of coal in Canada has unfurled over years. Ontario was early: The province in 2003 pledged to eliminate coal-fired power, which supplied a quarter of its electrical demand.

By 2014, coal was powering zero per cent of the province – replaced with natural gas, wind, solar, hydro and, above all, zero-carbon nuclear.

More recently, Alberta decided to also do away with coal power. In 2015, about half of the province’s electricity came from coal. Since then, spurred by policies including strong provincial rules limiting emissions from power generation, coal has quickly faded. By 2023, Alberta will be fully off coal power – seven years ahead of schedule.

In terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions, doing away with coal-fired electricity in Ontario and Alberta is roughly equivalent to shutting down half the oil sands. This month, Canada took three more big steps toward the end of coal.

The first came on June 11, at the Group of Seven meeting. Ottawa effectively banned new projects to mine thermal coal – the kind used for power.

For the rest of this editorial: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-the-end-of-coal-in-canada-is-near-and-its-about-time/