I would like for the…

I would like for the Government of Ontario to reconsider withdrawing from the World Climate Initiative and reinstate the Climate Change Mitigation and Low Carbon Economy Act to bring back the Cap and Trade system. As a citizen of Ontario who belongs to the middle class, and is therefore not extremely wealthy, nor living in poverty, I can recognize my privilege, BUT also can say that I am prepared to take on short term financial discomfort if it means that we will be taking active steps to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. I knew I was paying more for hydro and gas, but was okay with that because it had caused me to seriously consider greener options, which were increasingly more affordable (via GreenON and the EV program) and attractive as a result of the impact of carbon pricing.

If you insist on proceeding without cap and trade, which I hope you reconsider, please do not fight carbon pricing altogether. I recognize that the result of carbon pricing is higher costs to services and products which use fossil fuels, but I also recognize that that is the point. Carbon pricing creates an incentive for people to make choices which produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Without an incentive, the public will continue to consume fossil fuels as we have been for decades and it is not sustainable.

Instead of fighting carbon pricing, establish a carbon pricing system which does not impact the most vulnerable (for example, monthly payments to those with household incomes below a set value, to compensate for the increased costs of hydro, gas etc). Allow the middle class and wealthier classes to take on some of that burden since we are in positions to do so, and tend to consume more fossil fuels anyway (these groups have more vehicles and use public transit less, we consume more, we travel by plane more, etc, etc). That way you can continue to fulfill your mandate of supporting those who are most directly impacted by increased costs, but you are still actively contributing to a system which helps the province reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Another consideration is that cancelling everything that was in place, only to build something new, will take a substantial amount of time in this government's term, leaving little time to implement and see the benefits before the next election.