The coal mining and steelmaking industries operate in a world of changing historical events, government policy and environmental regulations. Here is a brief timeline of events, policies and regulations that relate to the industries and their impacts on the environment:
| Date |
Event |
|
|
| 1639 |
- First coal mine in Canada opens at Grand Lake, New Brunswick.
|
| 1700s |
- Modern use of coke for ironmaking begins in England.
|
| 1720 |
- Commercial coal mining begins, as a coal mine on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, produces coal for the French fortress at Louisbourg.
|
| 1800s |
- The United States begins to import Nova Scotia coal to power steamships.
- Gradually replacing wood as the most important source of energy in Canada, coal is used to heat homes and power steam engines in ships, locomotives and factories.
|
| 1836 |
- First coal mine in Western Canada opens on Vancouver Island, supplying fuel for coastal steamboats.
|
| 1850 |
- Coal is first mined in Alberta near Edmonton.
|
| 1867 |
- Coal production in Canada totals three million tonnes each year. Of this total, more than two-thirds comes from Nova Scotia, with the remainder from New Brunswick and Western Canada.
|
| 1873 |
- Hudson’s Bay discovers coal in the Elk Valley region of southeastern British Columbia.
|
| 1880s |
- The first ironworks in Canada begins operation near Peterborough, Ontario.
- As transcontinental railways are built across the Prairies, mines open along the way to fuel locomotives.
- Cities such as Toronto and Montreal install small coal-fired power stations to produce electricity.
|
| Early 1900s |
- Steelmaking plants are built in Hamilton and Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, and Sydney, Nova Scotia.
- Western Canada begins to take the lead in annual coal production.
|
| Late 1940s |
- Canada’s railways are the largest consumers of coal.
- Coal supplies about one half of Canada’s energy needs.
|
| Early 1950s |
- As large reserves of oil and natural gas are discovered, oil and gas increasingly replace coal in heating homes and fueling industry and transportation.
|
| 1960 |
- Canada’s mines produce 11 million tonnes of coal.
- Coal contributes 20 per cent of Canada’s energy supply.
|
| Late 1960s |
- Alberta and Saskatchewan begin to use their coal resources to generate electricity.
|
| 1970s |
- International crude oil price increases focus attention on coal as an alternative energy source. Major steel-producing countries such as Japan strive to diversify their energy supply. This leads to increased development of metallurgical coal in British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia, and expansion of the Canadian coal industry in the 1970s and early 1980s. New mines are opened and more efficient rail and port facilities are established.
|
| 1971 |
- The Coal Association of Canada is formed to promote the views of the coal mining industry in Canada and internationally.
|
| 1995 |
- Canada’s Voluntary Challenge and Registry is established to encourage voluntary actions by private and public organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The coal mining and steelmaking industries actively support the program.
|
| 1998 |
- The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment proposes the development of Canada-wide standards for different substances. Since then, Canada’s steelmaking industry has worked with government to develop Canada-wide standards for benzene and other emissions.
|
| 2001 |
- Canada consumes 60 million tonnes of coal. Of this, 90 per cent goes into supplying coal to power plants. The rest goes into steelmaking and other industries.
|
| 2002 |
- In December, Canada formally ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, signifying the federal government’s commitment to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The government establishes a Large Industrial Emitters Group to work with industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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