Noah Deich (Columbia Center for Global Energy Policy), Frank Des Rosiers (Government of Canada), Laura Jackson (Government of the United Kingdom), Erin Burns (Carbon180)
Credit: Carbon Removal Canada
What happened: Canada's carbon removal (CDR) sector hit a new threshold at last week's Carbon Removal Day, headlined by a new coalition to mobilize $100 million by 2030 for Canadian CDR projects.
Advance Carbon Removal Coalition is backed by the Government of Canada, NorthX, Shopify, RBC and others. And it isn’t just a procurement tool: it’s putting capital to work across purchases, investments and project finance, creating a full-stack approach to accelerating CDR.
The Advance announcement reflects the sector’s shift from potential to real projects - and the new challenges and opportunities that it brings. Here’s what we heard throughout the day:
Industrial integration
Carbon removal is finding traction inside existing industries - mining, steel, pulp and paper - that have unique feedstocks, whether it’s carbon-absorbing waste rock or concentrated CO2 streams.
John Naccarato, VP Strategy at Algoma Steel, described looking for technology partners that can help monetize millions of tonnes of steel slag sitting on their site.
A new Carbon Removal Canada report puts the stakes plainly: CDR could boost GDP by $78B annually, cut the marginal cost of net-zero in half by 2050, and keep jobs in communities.
Buy-in
Community engagement in CDR is still mostly about playing defence, reacting to opposition when it surfaces rather than building coalitions before it forms.
Innisfail (home to Deep Sky’s Alpha site) and Thetford Mines’ “Gris Au Vert” initiative offer compelling examples of what strong community engagement can unlock. Both made strategic decisions to pull CDR projects toward them, turning local assets into leverage.
Indigenous consultation and partnerships need the same shift: from compliance checkbox to equity stakes and strategic advantage. Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) obligations and Article 6 credit opportunities point in the same direction: get in early.
Owning the moment
The US retreat on climate creates an opening for Canada, but it’s not inevitable. Carbon 180’s Erin Burns noted that Congressional support is holding: the Republican-controlled house just passed $100M+ for carbon removal R&D and procurement.
Canada’s regulatory and policy certainty are becoming a competitive asset, and Clean ITCs that fund up-front construction costs make getting projects financed and off the ground easier.
Canada's carbon pricing infrastructure creates a compliance demand signal the US can't replicate.
What needs to happen: Carbon Removal Canada's new Removals into Revenue report lays out the sequencing.
Near-term: a $500M backstop for projects and buyers to crowd-in private capital without putting public dollars at risk unless projects fail.
Medium-term: scale procurement from $10M to at least $100M per round, creating a demand signal that moves companies from demonstration to commercialization.
Long-term: plug CDR into compliance markets like the industrial carbon price and Clean Fuel Regs. And build an Article 6 credit strategy (including FPIC) to unlock international credit sales.
Our takeaway: Advance's full-stack approach - purchases, investment, project finance - fills a gap that procurement alone never could. A credible co-investor or buyer like Advance can unlock new capital by giving a stamp of approval.
A year ago, Canada's CDR sector was making the case for why it should exist. Now, it’s about turning plans into projects.