Sir: Re: “MPP takes aim at energy costs,” in the March 2 Chatham Voice. Last fall, the federal government announced its plan to fight climate change that will soon see the entire country covered by a carbon price. Within that framework, Ontario is moving forward with our Climate Change Action Plan, which includes putting a cap on the amount of emissions businesses can release into the atmosphere. We’re taking this approach because it guarantees greenhouse gas reductions at the cheapest price possible for families and businesses
Working closely with industrial emitters, home and building associations and environmental groups, we developed the Climate Change Action Plan which includes incentives for electric vehicles, home and building energy retrofits and support for business to purchase new equipment to lower their greenhouse gas emissions. We must, by law, transparently reinvest every dollar collected to support up to $1.9 billion per year in green projects that fight climate change.
We have recently met with the Ontario Green House Alliance, where we had a great discussion about how we can help support their sector. Through the Climate Change Action Plan, we have committed $115 million to supporting the retrofit of agricultural facilities, including greenhouses. These investments will help families and businesses reduce costs and make the switch to non-polluting choices easier and less expensive.
We’re taking this approach because it guarantees emission reductions at the cheapest price possible, unlike Patrick Brown and the PC Party’s carbon tax, which would cost families four times more without guaranteeing any reductions.
Third-party experts EnviroEconomics have confirmed this, showing Brown’s scheme would cost households up to $600 per year.
We know that the longer we wait to act on climate change, the more it will cost us. Canadian business leaders agree, recently penning an open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau calling the global shift to a low-carbon economy a “major economic opportunity and a vital environmental responsibility for Canada.” The signees are a who’s who of Canadian business, labour and environmental leaders, including CEOs, executives and reps from companies like Suncor, Shell and Cenovus Energy.
Being a leader puts Ontario in the best position for long-term economic growth, allowing us to benefit from the opportunities and new jobs that will come with this transition. Our Climate Change Action Plan will help us do that.
Glen Murray
Ontario Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
