December 10, 2016 Ministry…

December 10, 2016

Ministry of Energy

Environmental Bill of Rights Registration # 012-8840

Re: 100% Renewable is Doable in Ontario

To whom it may concern,

I want Ontario’s next Long-Term Energy Plan (LTEP) to acknowledge that going 100% renewable energy in our province is absolutely possible and essential if we are to have any hope of addressing climate change. Placing a cost on carbon is a huge step forward so that fossil fuels more closely reflect the damage they cause to health and the environment.

More and more communities, countries and companies are opting to go 100% renewable.   Ontario’s next energy plan should put policies in place to enable citizens, communities and First Nations to go 100% renewable.

Put Conservation First

To fight climate change and reduce our environmental footprint, I think Ontario’s next energy plan should make conservation and efficiency the first priority for all energy decisions.

A recent government study showed we have the potential to cost-effectively reduce electricity demand by 30% by 2035.

I think the government should pursue all cost-effective conservation.

Empower Communities and Citizens to go 100% Renewable

Ontario’s next energy plan should empower everyone from citizens and co-ops to municipalities and First Nations to become energy producers.

Come Clean on Nuclear Costs

The biggest barrier to shifting Ontario to 100% renewable energy is the government’s current commitment to nuclear power.

While the cost of renewables keeps declining, the cost of nuclear power has only ever gone up. Despite this, the government’s past energy plans have made no requirement for nuclear projects to undergo public review against alternatives. This needs to change.

Ontario’s next energy plan needs to ensure there are a full and fair comparisons of the total costs of nuclear with alternatives and an opportunity for the public to have a say about which approach they prefer.

Close Pickering

Ontario’s 2013 energy plan committed to close the Pickering nuclear station between 2017 and 2020, but earlier this year the government announced they would renege on this promise and keep operating Pickering until 2024.

Almost all of Pickering’s output is surplus and exported to Michigan at a loss.  This is driving up energy costs.

Pickering’s continued operation also puts the public at risk. Ontario has not updated its nuclear emergency plans since the Fukushima disaster.

I want the government to keep its promise to close Pickering before 2020.

Shutting Pickering down should be a first step in Ontario’s long-term transition to renewable energy.

[Original Comment ID: 205710]