Cleaner Refuelling Options for Northern Ontario Truck Drivers Coming to Trans-Canada Highway

April 1, 2021                                   Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury, Ontario                                      Natural Resources Canada

Canada is committed to building a clean energy future to strengthen the economy, create good, middle-class jobs and support the natural resource sectors.

Marc Serré, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, today announced a $3-million investment to Envoy Energy for the installation of three natural gas stations in northern Ontario that will put the trucking industry in the driver’s seat on the road to a cleaner future by helping it switch from diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG).

The new refuelling stations — which are located at existing gas stations in Nipigon, Hearst and Cochrane — will include on-site storage and easy-to-use dispensers providing all the features heavy-duty truck drivers need when refuelling along the Trans-Canada Highway.

CNG is one of the greenest transportation fuels on the market today for long-haul vehicles. It produces more than 25 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) than other petroleum products and eliminates more than 90 percent of the contaminants coming out of the tailpipe of traditional, diesel-powered trucks. CNG can also be produced from renewable natural gas, using waste feedstocks such as landfill gas and municipal solid waste to produce a fuel with 80 percent fewer GHGs. Natural gas use can also reduce fuel costs by nearly half.

Federal funding is provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment (EVAFIDI), which is investing to establish natural gas refuelling stations along key transportation routes. To date, the federal government has provided support for 22 natural gas stations to be installed across Canada, providing transport companies with cleaner options to move their goods. The investments announced today will enable our freight fleets to choose to drive lower-emitting natural gas vehicles now and position them to transition to renewable natural gas as the supply grows across Canada over time.

The government has invested over $600 million to make electric vehicles (EVs) and alternative fuel infrastructure more accessible. This includes helping establish a coast-to-coast network of fast chargers and installing chargers in localized areas where Canadians live, work and play. This investment supports natural gas refuelling stations along key freight corridors, hydrogen stations in metropolitan centres, the demonstration of next-generation charging technologies and the development of enabling codes and standards. The government provides incentives of up to $5,000 to increase affordability for Canadian consumers to buy EVs and full tax write-offs for businesses purchasing them.

These initiatives are part of Canada’s strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, which proposes to further accelerate zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) adoption through an additional $150 million for infrastructure and an additional $287 million for purchasing incentives for Canadians.

The government continues to support green infrastructure projects that will create good jobs, advance Canada’s green future and help us achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.