Canadian Feds announce 100M investment to help the oil and gas sector reduce its greenhouse gas emissions

Ontario — Canada‘s oil and gas sector is an important part of Canada’s economy, and workers in the sector have been significantly affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. By working together with the sector, the government can help it rebound, create good jobs for workers and reduce its carbon footprint.

The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, joined by the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, today announced an investment of $100 million over four years, provided through the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), to help the oil and gas sector grow, create jobs and greatly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

“The Government of Canada is committed to helping bring together Canada’s research expertise and businesses that are seeking to seize growth opportunities and address challenges through the development, demonstration and adoption of innovative technologies and processes,” says Navdeep Bains. “This investment in the Clean Resource Innovation Network demonstrates how we are collaborating with our energy sector to grow the economy and create jobs, while greatly reducing emissions.”

The investment will help the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN) accelerate the development and adoption of innovative technologies and processes that seek to lower the oil and gas industry’s environmental impacts. By developing groundbreaking cleantech and emission-lowering solutions through collaboration, CRIN will support economic growth and create good, well-paying jobs, with cleaner energy from source to end use as the result.

The Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN) is a consortium of companies of all sizes, innovators, not-for-profit organizations, government departments and agencies, researchers, academic institutions, and economic development agencies. It involves many of the biggest research and development investors in the country, including Canada’s major oil and gas producers and associations. Since its inception, it has attracted nearly 1,700 members across eight provinces as well as various international locations.

Through this investment, CRIN aims to reduce the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by 100 megatons by 2033. This is the equivalent of taking 1.5 million cars off the road. In addition, by supporting co-op positions for post-secondary students, work-integrated learning and skills retraining, CRIN will help develop the oil and gas sector’s highly skilled workforce of the future.

This project supports the Government of Canada’s Innovation and Skills Plan by building a highly skilled workforce and advancing research in new foundational technology—a key component for future economic growth and innovation. It also supports the government’s plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.