OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - October 17, 2017) - Renewable Industries Canada is celebrating the success of the 2017 Renewable Industries Forum which took place at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa on October 16-17, 2017. The annual event, with a history dating back over a decade, brought together over one hundred experts from government, industry and academia to address Canada's priorities in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The agenda featured a keynote address from Jonathan Wilkinson, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, the Hon. Catherine McKenna. The Forum also included a diverse group of panelists and speakers representing federal and provincial governments, academia, and Canada's renewable and bio-based sectors. In addition to Environment and Climate Change Canada, Federal and Provincial Government representation included participation from:

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada;
• Natural Resources Canada;
• Alberta's Climate Change Office;
• British Columbia's Ministry of Energy and Mines;
• Ontario's Ministry of Energy; and
• Quebec's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

Throughout his keynote address, Parliamentary Secretary Jonathan Wilkinson underscored the important contribution the renewable fuels and bio-based sectors make in meeting Canada's ambitious climate change commitments under the Paris Accord. Wilkinson also revealed that Environment and Climate Change Canada intends to release its draft regulatory framework for the proposed federal Clean Fuel Standard in early 2018, with the subsequent publication of final regulations in 2019 when the framework is expected to take effect.

As part of the implementation of the federal Clean Fuel Standard, Renewable Industries Canada is proposing an ambitious, yet realistic strategy to reduce GHG emissions by another 4 megatonnes. The proposal would see the mandated amount of ethanol blended into Canadian gasoline increased to 10% and the biodiesel content of diesel fuel increased from 2% to 5%. If enacted, it would have an effect equivalent to removing an additional one million cars from the road, bringing the total amount of GHG emission reductions to almost 9 megatonnes.

Marking the achievements of this year's forum, RICanada Chairperson Jim Grey said: "As the leaders of Canada's renewable and bio-based sectors, we are strongly encouraged by the recognition we received from government and renowned climate changes experts alike about the critical role our domestic biofuels industry plays in combating climate change and driving GHG reductions in the transport sector. We look forward to continuing these discussions about how we can best support Canada's transition to a thriving low-carbon economy by furthering the standards for renewable fuels."

About RICanada

Renewable Industries Canada, founded in 1984 as the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, has grown to represent the leaders of Canada's bioeconomy -- producers of renewable fuels and value-added products that reduce GHG emissions and provide economic opportunity to the benefit of all Canadians. Members of Renewable Industries Canada provide the public with renewable, clean-burning biofuels such as ethanol and Biodiesel -- fuels that help fight climate change and combat pollution and smog. At the same time, they produce value added products from renewable resources and continuously innovate to provide even greater environmental and economic benefits.

www.ricanada.org