Eliminating Renewable Energy…

Eliminating Renewable Energy Requirements Regulation
ERO number 019-3471
To the Standing Committee on General Government.

I am a parent, an aunt, a scientist and active member in my community. I am frustrated by the decisions that the Ontario government has been making that will negatively impact the future of my children and their right to clean air, water, food and a safe future.

Today I am writing with regard to the Ontario government’s proposal to repeal provisions in the Electricity Act and the Ontario Energy Board Act that promote and prioritize renewable energy.

I honestly cannot believe that while many of the world leading countries are embracing renewable energy and making concrete plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and divest from fossil fuel infrastructure, our elected leaders in Ontario believe now is the time to reprioritize renewable energy.

I object to this repeal in the strongest possible terms. In the face of the climate emergency this
proposed repeal endangers Ontario and Canada’s chance of meeting its climate targets, which will threaten the lives of Ontarians and millions of species (plant and animal) around the world. This repeal will set Ontario backwards and it will take years for our economy to recover. We need to be investing in renewable energy sources and incentivizing companies that will protect our plant, we have already lost so much ground (both in terms of greenhouse gas emissions but also in terms of green jobs) with the cancellation of electric car rebates, solar panel installation programs and wind farms.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has made it clear that all jurisdictions must reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050 in order to keep global warming to 1.5C and avoid catastrophic climate change.

Researchers with the International Energy Agency (IEA) just asserted that “ 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.”(1) AND 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. So to claim that the Ontario government is making these changes due to economic benefit for the residents of Ontario is misleading and misguided. We know that if we do not aggressively mitigate the changes of climate change, costs to residents, especially those who are marginalized, will continue to grow (and grow quickly).

Far from de-prioritizing renewable energy, the government of Ontario should be increasing its investment in renewable energy sources.

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:
A) Reduce Ontarians’ electricity bills. Quebec Hydro power at the offered cost of 5cents/ kwh is
also significantly cheaper than the 9.6cents/ kwh for nuclear energy, a cost that is projected to
rise to pay for the refurbishment of nuclear power plants (2) - And nuclear power already has so many other factors that need to be considered, including how to safely contain nuclear waste for the hundreds of years during which the waste is toxic.

B) Provide employment and educational opportunities. Renewable energy sources are the energy
systems of the future. Young people in Ontario should have the same opportunity as their
global peers to learn about renewable energy and train for the jobs they will provide.

C) Attract investors and research talent. By prioritizing renewable energy, Ontario could position
itself as a clean energy leader. Failing to do will so, while other jurisdictions such as the United
States invest trillions in renewable energy, will only put Ontario farther and farther behind.

D) Provide health benefits. Investment in renewable energy will reduce air pollution (since combustion of fossil fuels is one of the leading contributions to air pollution) thereby
improving the health of communities across Ontario (particularly seniors and children who are already feeling the combined effects of increasing temperatures and air pollution). By reducing fossil fuel sources, Ontario will also reduce public health expenditure. And we all know that the costs from COVID have been high, so adding to the burden of an already heavily strained health care system is just asking for problems we don't have time for (3)

E) Enable Ontario to play its part in ensuring that Canada reaches its new climate target of 45%
emission reductions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. It bears repeating that failing to prioritize
renewable energy will make meeting this crucial target extremely difficult

By contrast, it does not make environmental or economic sense to erode the progress Ontario has made in greening its energy sources. Here are just a few examples:
• In 2018-2019, $230 million was spent by the provincial government to cancel renewable energy contracts and more recently, almost $3 billion was spent to purchase gas power plants. This is at the cost of Ontario startups and industries who invested in innovation and technology that is recognized around the world but still needs support here at home. Taking the direction proposed in this regulation would continue this negative impact on local businesses. Investing in and giving priority to renewable energy-focused solutions made in Ontario and Canada would result in jobs, local tax revenue, and improved health and well-being for Ontarians - something that is desperately needed as we begin to recover from COVID.

• The health impacts of air pollution are serious, both on the individuals and families affected and on our health system, which COVID-19 revealed clearly to be overtaxed. De-prioritizing green energy and moving instead to gas-powered plants will increase loss of life and quality of life, while costing more in terms of healthcare and absentee rates in schools and workplaces.

• Lazard, in its annual report on the levelized cost of energy for 2020, shows that energy generated by renewable sources, particularly wind and solar, both of which are well-suited for Ontario, is more economical than conventional power sources. This report is considered a benchmark for governments, utilities and infrastructure investors around the world. If Ontario is serious about lowering and stabilizing energy rates, it is clear that we need to increase the use of renewables.

Given all these benefits, I 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.

I am also sending this letter to my MPP and have asked neighbours and fellow parents to do the same. As we look forward to 2022, we will be looking to elect climate leaders, MPPs that will help us find solutions to the climate crisis, not bury us deeper into fossil fuel debt.

1 IEA (2021), Net Zero by 2050, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050
2 Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Phasing Out Ontario’s Gas-Fired Power Plants: A Road Map (April 2020, updated Jan 2021): 6
3. “Health and climate benefits of different energy-efficiency and renewable energy choices.” Jonathan J. Buonocore, Patrick Luckow, Gregory Norris, John D. Spengler, Bruce Biewald, Jeremy Fisher, and Jonathan I. Levy. Nature Climate Change volume 6, pages100–105 (2016)