Dear MPP, RE: ERO number 019…

Dear MPP,

RE: ERO number 019-3471: Eliminating Renewable Energy Requirements

I am writing regarding the proposal to repeal provisions that prioritize renewable energy in the Electricity Act and Ontario Energy Board Act.

I appreciate as a politician you have a responsibility to the communities that rely on the fossil fuel industry for their financial security. I can only imagine the difficulties in balancing these economic problems with the demands on the Climate Change lobby. However, in my opinion, history will show that the Climate Change lobby is on the right side of this issue. The economic problems of a sector of the Canadian population is not equivalent to the consequences of Climate Change, about which I am sure you have read much.

Unlike the vast majority of people discussing this issue, you are in a position of political power. Please use your influence to move the Canada away from reliance on fossil fuels, and towards renewable and nuclear options.

A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calls for reduction in carbon emissions of 45% by 2030. The International Energy Agency (IEA) report just released a report titled Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, which states “Renewable energy technologies like solar and wind are the key to reducing emissions in the electricity sector, which is today the single largest source of CO2 emissions.”

Prioritizing the development of clean renewable energy – both within Ontario and by connecting Ontario to Quebec hydro power - has multiple benefits for Ontario and Ontarians. According to the International Energy Agency, onshore wind and solar are now the lowest cost sources of new electricity supply in most countries and these costs are projected to continue falling.

Given all these benefits, I ask that you urge the provincial government to reconsider its proposal to eliminate provisions to prioritize renewable energy. For the sake of all Ontarians and particularly the children of Ontario, it is crucial that this province prioritize a clean energy future.