Petitions received

The OAG received 28 environmental petitions during the reporting period. For the titles of petitions and provinces of origin, please refer to the list of 2022–23 petitions received.

In total, 24 federal departments and agencies received petitions requesting a response. In many cases, a petition was sent to more than 1 department or agency. The 5 organizations that received the most petitions were

• Environment and Climate Change Canada (14 petitions)
• Health Canada (12 petitions)
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (7 petitions)
• National Capital Commission (5 petitions)
• Transport Canada (5 petitions)

Key issues raised

Petitions submitted during the reporting period addressed a wide variety of environmental concerns and issues, including the monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions, construction activities, electromagnetic hypersensitivity, and pesticide use.

Alberta

• 472—Establishment of a system for Canadians to report potential adverse reactions to radiation (radiofrequency electromagnetic fields) from wireless devices
• 485—Green and Inclusive Community Buildings grant application should not qualify for building at proposed location

British Columbia

• 478—Policy measures regarding the marketing of radiation-emitting devices to children under the age of 14 to ensure parents are aware of the health risks and how these risks can be avoided
• 479—Petition requesting that the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the President of the Treasury Board review and amend an eligibility rule governing the Environmental Damages Fund
• 486—Environmental impact assessment
• 492—Clarity from Fisheries and Oceans Canada on British Columbia open net‑pen salmon farm issues

Manitoba

• 475—Data on the Government of Canada’s public service on reasonable accommodations for environmental sensitivities, including electromagnetic hypersensitivity, as required under the Canadian Human Rights Act

Ontario

• 390D—Follow‑up petition on the quantification of Canada’s total carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from exported fossil fuels
• 390E—Follow‑up petition on the quantification of Canada’s total carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from exported fossil fuels
• 447B—Follow‑up petition on climate and environmental impacts of the new fleet of F‑35 fighter jets
• 470—Assessing effectiveness of regulation of asbestos and asbestos cement pipes in Canada
• 471—Greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, monitoring, reporting, and climate action
• 473—The non‑agricultural use of permethrin in Canada as a mosquito treatment, and the implications to insect and spider biodiversity and the food chain
• 473B—Request for further information and clarification on the response to petition 473 from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
• 473C—Request for information and clarification on the response to petition 473 from the Minister of Health
• 474—Funding of research through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research into testing, diagnosis, and treatment of electromagnetic hypersensitivity and the possible impacts on health in the workplace
• 476—Climate action, escalating biodiversity loss, and pollution
• 477—Federal environmental responsibilities for the largest hospital plan in Canada—The Ottawa Hospital
• 480—Follow‑up to petition 466 on environmental effects of the Bradford Bypass construction on fish and fish habitat
• 481—Health Canada’s actions regarding the consideration of the Canadian Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and the World Health Organization to update their guidelines and continuing education materials regarding the diagnosis and treatment of electromagnetic hypersensitivity to ensure they are based on the latest scientific evidence and reflect the symptoms of affected Canadians
• 482—Teachers and subsidized or free car parking at schools
• 483—Request for an update or a timeline on the implementation of Recommendation 8 of the Standing Committee on Health’s 2015 parliamentary report
• 484—Political accountability for the continued use of glyphosate in Canada
• 487—Environmental risk management plan for 1 and 19 Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway
• 488—Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory does not include 1 and 19 Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway
• 489—Erosion of the National Capital Commission’s commitment to tree planting
• 490—The National Capital Commission’s corporate plan and real‑property optimization strategy: Green space versus monetizing green space
• 491—Rail safety and maintenance