*** 20th Anniversary: 2003 to 2023 ***

What is the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment Canada?

Search for more about Canada.

What does the ministry of Environment Canada do for you?  Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC, as it is currently known) provides information on the environment and its protection, as well as regulations and services.  As well as air and water pollution, climate change, and hazardous waste management, it monitors and reports on them.  It also protects endangered species and habitats.

You might like it if you're Canadian and interested in the environment, the weather, or the nation's future, because this organization might do a lot for you.

You should be able to find the information you need on the ECCC website.  Lists of Canadian regulations and acts are kept here, as well as other relevant info.

Anybody who wants to understand the legal landscape in the country should check it out.  It's regularly updated, so you'll always get the latest info.  It's all free and easy to find.

All environmental regulations and acts passed in Canada, as well as other federal and provincial regulations, are available on the ECCC website.  Research papers, reports, and other information about environmental issues in Canada are also available.

An overview of environmental regulations.

CanLII is the Canadian Legal Information Institute.  CanLII provides legal information, including environmental laws and regulations, but it doesn't regulate the environment directly.  Legal professionals, academics, and the general public can use it to get legal information and stay up to date on environmental regulations and legislation.

The federal, provincial, and territorial governments are responsible for environmental regulation in Canada.  They set and enforce rules about environmental protection, pollution prevention, and natural resource management.  In addition, they oversee environmental assessments for big projects.

CanLII may indirectly impact environmental regulation by making legal information more accessible, which can increase transparency and accountability.  CanLII can also help promote public awareness and understanding of environmental issues by providing free access to environmental laws and regulations.  However, CanLII itself doesn't have a regulatory or enforcement role in the environment.

EnviroRegs are regulations designed to protect the environment.  There's probably money to be made by creating more portals for accessing important information like this.  Find out how you can get in on the action.

The Weather Modification Information Act requires people to tell Environment Canada about any proposed weather modification activity.  It's been carried out under the Meteorological Services of Canada, a smaller division of ECCC.  Modifying the weather requires keeping a daily record and reporting to the government.

Could you please clarify what you mean by modifying the weather?

Cloud Seeding device on a plane

The process of "cloud seeding" can enhance rainfall and make snow fall in places like ski slopes that need it.  In this process, silver iodide particles act as ice nuclei in the clouds.  As a result, clouds form droplets of water, which then fall to the ground as snow or rain.

Researchers began experimenting with cloud seeding in the 1940's.  Over the past 50 years, it's been tested and improved a lot, and has started getting used quite regularly.

Fly over here to find more great videos.

Dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide particles, was the first substance added to clouds to increase rainfall.  Early hopes were that in the winter, precipitation could be stimulated to increase by 20 percent, and in the summer, by 100 percent.

Maybe tomorrow sometime...

How's cloud seeding and weather modification going?  Scientists and experts in the field still debate whether cloud seeding and other weather modification techniques work.  In some studies, cloud seeding has been shown to increase precipitation, but its effectiveness and potential environmental impacts remain uncertain.

In cloud seeding, silver iodide or dry ice are added to clouds to encourage precipitation.  These substances will provide nuclei around which water droplets can condense and form rain or snow.  Several studies have shown cloud seeding can increase precipitation by up to 10-15%, but others have found no significant increase or raised concerns about the environment.

New weather modification techniques have been developed, like using lasers or drones to seed clouds.  These techniques are still in the experimental stage and haven't been widely tested.

Overall, cloud seeding and weather modification techniques still need more research to determine their benefits and drawbacks.  Other approaches, like water conservation, drought planning, and improved water management, may be more effective in addressing water scarcity.

The Ministry of Environment Canada has these responsibilities:

Cloud seeders need special skills.  It can be done from ground stations and airplanes.  Fog dispersal and hail reduction are other common weather modifications.  Kudos to Weather Modification Inc. who does this professionally.

City governments, hydroelectric power plants, farms, airports, and ski areas sponsor weather modifications.  ECCC has to be kept informed about these activities, which don't harm the environment.

Search this site for more information now, or move back from here to the Weather Canada page instead.

Go back from Ministry of Environment Canada to the Weather Canada web page, or visit the Stuff in the Air homepage.

Environment Canada - How do these regulations affect you?

Environment Canada's services and jurisdiction: weather modification and other environmental activities.

Do you have concerns about air pollution in your area??

Perhaps modelling air pollution will provide the answers to your question.

That is what I do on a full-time basis.  Find out if it is necessary for your project.

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Thank you to my research and writing assistants, ChatGPT and WordTune, as well as Wombo for the images.