These are the most polluting industries in Canada and the U.S.

A coal mining operation in Sparwood, B.C., is shown on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Mining creates more pollutants than any other industry in North America, according to a new report.

By analyzing data from approximately 24,000 industrial facilities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the report, published Tuesday by the Montreal-based Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), tracked over five billion kilograms of industrial pollutants created on the continent each year.

Together, the three countries reportedly released or transferred more than 5.2 billion kilograms of industrial pollutants in 2020 alone, with 46 per cent, or 2.4 billion kg, coming from Canada. Only 18 million kg (0.35 per cent) were reported from Mexico, while 2.7 billion kg (53 per cent) came from the U.S.

The largest overall amounts of industrial pollutants were reported by the mining industry (36 per cent), followed by primary metal manufacturing (12 per cent), chemical manufacturing (11 per cent) and oil and gas extraction (seven per cent).

When it came to industrial pollutants released into the air, chemical manufacturing (26 per cent) led paper manufacturing (19 per cent), utilities like wastewater treatment (13 per cent) and food manufacturing (seven per cent). Such utilities discharged the most pollutants into surface water (56 per cent) followed by food manufacturers (16 per cent), petroleum and coal product makers (six per cent) and primary metal manufacturing (five per cent).

"In the spirit of the public’s right-to-know, Taking Stock presents and analyzes data on industrial pollutant releases and transfers to inform decisions about preventing pollution and advancing environmental justice by reducing the risk of exposure to contaminants of vulnerable communities," CEC executive director Jorge Daniel Taillant said in a news release.

The CEC was established by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States in 1994 to foster environmental cooperation under NAFTA. The results and data can be explored in the report, Taking Stock Vol. 16, and in an interactive online portal.

OFF-SITE DISPOSAL

Over five years, the report found that 36 per cent of industrial pollutants were being transferred off-site for recycling, treatment or energy recovery. More than half of industrial pollutants, or 57 per cent, were disposed of on-site through land release, air emissions, underground injection and surface water discharge. About six per cent – representing 335 million kg – were sent off-site for disposal, including metal compounds like zinc, manganese, lead and barium.

The report also provided examples of health and environmental issues associated with different disposal methods and noted a lack of information about what happens to waste pollutants once they are transferred to third parties or across borders for handling or disposal.

"At the root of this examination are concerns about the potential environmental and human health risks associated with certain disposal methods—particularly when the responsibility for a facility’s waste is transferred to a third party and/or across international borders," the report said.

More than 182 million kg of industrial pollutants were transferred between the three countries in 2020, with 67 per cent heading from Canada to the U.S. In 2020, oil and gas extraction led off-site disposal (31 per cent), followed by primary metal manufacturing (20 per cent), chemical manufacturing (12 per cent) and utilities (11 per cent).

POLLUTANTS IN CANADA

In Canada, mining was responsible for more than half (54 per cent) of all reported industrial pollutants in 2020, trailed by oil and gas extraction (16 per cent), utilities (7 per cent), primary metal manufacturing (6 per cent) and petroleum and coal products manufacturing (five per cent).

In 2020, seven of the ten largest polluting facilities on the continent were also reportedly Canadian mining operations, led by the Rainy River gold and silver mine near Emo, Ont., then mines in or near Cochrane, Ont.; Labrador City, N.L; Dease Lake, B.C; McLeese Lake, B.C.; Baker Lake, Nvt. and Fort St. James, B.C. American mines in Alaska, Nevada and Utah claimed the first, sixth and tenth spots.

When pollutants were filtered to only include those that are likely the most harmful to human health, the Detour Lake gold mine near Cochrane, Ont. reported the largest figure in Canada. Releasing or transferring 96 million kg of potentially dangerous pollutants in 2020, the site was ranked third in North America after mines in Alaska and Nevada.

"These amounts are not directly comparable to those released to air and water," the CEC said in a statement to CTVNews.ca.

Oil and gas extraction and chemical manufacturing facilities in Alberta and Manitoba held the top spots for air emissions in Canada, led by Suncor's oil sands facility in Fort McMurray, Alta. Urban wastewater treatment plants in Toronto and Calgary released the most pollutants into the water.

In 2020, Ontario was the number one producer of all industrial pollutants (29 per cent), with significant amounts also being reported by B.C. (22 per cent), Alberta (18 per cent) and Quebec (12 per cent). In terms of Canadian watersheds, the St. Lawrence River area was home to 21 per cent of all pollutants released or transferred in 2020, followed by the Mackenzie River (19 per cent), the Hudson Bay Seaboard (15 per cent), the Nelson River (15 per cent) and the Atlantic Ocean Seaboard (12 per cent).

The data used in the study was provided by industrial facilities to federal pollution registries, like Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory. However, the report also highlighted gaps in reporting requirements between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Oil and gas extraction facilities and sewage treatment plants, for example, are not subject to reporting in the U.S., which is also the only country that requires data on barium.

"These gaps in information about the quantities and management of substances can, for example, constrain our ability to respond to extreme events and disasters, such as floods, that risk re-mobilizing pollutants from disposal sites and contaminated soils," Taillant explained.

MINING INDUSTRY REACTS

Pierre Gratton, the president and CEO of the Mining Association of Canada, chalked up his industry's high pollution figures to stringent Canadian reporting requirements and the very nature of mining operations.

"We have to report every speck of dust that we move when we mine," Gratton told CTVNews.ca. "So, we dwarf everything else because it's just a huge volume of material that you're moving."

Gratton also noted that the vast majority mining pollutants are stored on-site and not released into the broader environment. The data in the CEC report confirms this is the case for over 99 per cent of mining-related industrial pollutants.

"What you're moving is staying on the site: it's not going into the air, it's not going into the water, it's just being moved," Gratton explained. "You report that number, and that's what Canada requires us to do, so we end up with these huge numbers."

In statements to CTVNews.ca, the Ontario mines mentioned in this story also defended their environmental practices.

"New Gold is highly regulated, and we follow our permitting requirements diligently to ensure we are not causing any significant damage to the environment or surrounding areas," said a spokesperson from New Gold, the company that operates the Rainy River Mine near Emo, Ont. "All deleterious elements extracted at our sites are treated with the highest care and remain at site, with no impact to our partners and communities."

Agnico Eagle is the company that owns the Detour Lake Mine near Cochrane, Ont.

"Tailings management areas are sites or installations designed and permitted for the disposal of residual waste and designed to prevent releases or these residual substances to the environment," a spokesperson said. "(T)hese are not released into the environment – tailings and waste rock are disposed of in on-site storage facilities, where they are stored and managed in accordance with strict guidelines and regulations to prevent releases to the environment"

When asked about the Ontario being the number one producer of industrial pollutants, a spokesperson from the province’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks told CTVNews.ca that the province's goal "is to strike the right balance between conservation and development while providing for environmentally sustainable opportunities for Indigenous and northern communities."

"The ministry is committed to protecting the environment by ensuring that mining projects obtain all necessary environmental approvals and permits triggered under its mandate and, where required, that appropriate consultation with the public and affected Indigenous communities takes place," the spokesperson added. "The ministry has a role in ensuring that all projects, including mine operations, are designed and operated in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment."

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, a spokesperson from Environment and Climate Change Canada noted that the CEC data excludes certain polluting sectors and substances because of differences in reporting requirements in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

"It is important to distinguish between the categories in which the substances are reported," they added. "For example, when considering only releases of pollutants into the environment, other industrial sectors such as oil and gas extraction, aluminium production and electric power generation releases more substances into the environment."