Ontario politics

Ontario Government Launches Climate Change Discussion Paper

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glen Murray.climatehero*

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Citizen-based lobby group applauds Ontario Government’s public engagement on greening the economy

Hundreds of citizen climate lobbyists to participate in new discussion paper to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

(Sudbury, ON) – Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) applauds the government of Ontario for initiating public discussion on plans to transition Canada’s largest province to a clean energy economy. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change released Ontario’s Climate Change Discussion Paper in Toronto yesterday. CCL encourages Ontarians to participate by reviewing the paper and providing feedback.

The discussion paper invites citizens, businesses and communities to share ideas about how to successfully fight climate change while fostering economic growth and keeping our businesses competitive. The paper is available on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change’s website.

“The Ontario Government is demonstrating great leadership in tackling the climate crisis,” says Cathy Orlando, National Manager of CCL Canada. “We look forward to engaging in the feedback process, particularly on carbon pricing, which will be an essential tool in reducing greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate disruption, while helping to diversify the economy and advance the province’s clean technology sector.”

Ontario is home to 35 percent of Canadian clean technology firms.  According to Analytical Advisors, an Ottawa-based firm that monitors Canada’s clean technology sector, sales in B.C.’s clean technology industry increased by 48 percent in two years after the introduction of the province’s revenue neutral carbon tax in 2008.

About Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) is a growing organization of more than 250 local volunteer chapters in Canada, the U.S., and worldwide that are pressing for progressive climate legislation. CCL is active in more than 25 ridings in Ontario. Currently, CCL citizen volunteers lobby representatives to support the carbon pricing mechanism, Carbon Fee and Dividend, and to end subsidies to fossil fuel companies. The former puts a direct fee on carbon-based fuels at the source, providing a market signal to invest in clean energy technology, while returning the fee’s revenue to citizens in the form of regular payments. CCL was founded in 2007 in California by Marshall Saunders, a recipient of the Grameen Foundation Humanitarian Award.

To learn more about CCL, visit: citizensclimatelobby.ca

Mike Holmes On Ontario’s Green Energy Act: A Brave New Path

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A great article by Mike “Make It Right” Holmes, host of the television series Holmes on Homes & Holmes Inspection, on The David Suzuki Foundation’s blog today:

Over the past few weeks, Ontario politicians have engaged in heated debate about the province’s much lauded and much criticized Green Energy Act. Some say it is the backbone of the province’s promising green technology sector; others want to put a stake through its heart. Regardless of your political stripes, everyone agrees; the stakes are high.

So what is really happening in Ontario? Simply put, a lot...The Province of Ontario is two years along a brave new path that is expected to bring future prosperity and cleaner energy to Ontario communities. It has done this by encouraging the private sector to invest in local power projects and companies that make the thousands of components that are required to make windmills whir and solar panels purr. At the same time, the province has begun promoting energy conservation and making huge investments in our energy infrastructure — measures that will reduce energy consumption and save taxpayers money in the long run.

To read the full article, go to Get The Goods On Growing Green Energy In Ontario.