The decision to introduce…

The decision to introduce and pass Bill 4 is a completely foolish idea without having an alternative solution in place to reduce Ontario's GHG emissions. The science is very simple. GHG emissions warm our planet, and the warming of our planet is leading to harmful weather patterns that reduce our quality of life in almost every single part of our lives. The warming of our planet means there are longer and more frequent periods of heat, which can damage crops, and erode fresh water resources. This makes our food more expensive as crop yields are lower, or farmers are required to spend an absurd amount of money on water to ensure a good harvest. The warming of our planet is leading to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Household flooding is increasingly dramatically which is pinching families' budgets because of the steep increase in insurance costs. Forest fires are also increasing in intensity and frequency, and the taxes that we pay each year to fight forest fires is increasing. By cancelling our current climate emissions framework without an alternative, this government is basically just ignoring science. This government purports to be a government that will work to safe us money. What they are showing with this decision is that they don't understand the basic economics of climate change and how destructive it will to the 'pocketbooks' of the average Ontario citizen. Simply put, spending money to fight climate change is not irresponsible. Spending money to fight GHG emissions will SAVE us money, and will simultaneously ensure that Ontario is on the leading edge of green technology innovation, which is a huge industry with growing market potential every single year.

I think the government should explore how to move away from the Cap and Trade program, and move toward a simple fee and dividend system. Cap and Trade is complex and confusing, and it is not something the average Ontario can wrap their head around. We should simply put a universal cost on each tonne of emissions at the time it enters the economy, and the money gathered fro this tax should be given back to Ontario people through a monthly cheque or direct deposit. This way Ontarians can better trust the process better because they get a direct benefit each month, and it will incentivize making decisions to use less emissions. If you can find ways to reduce your footprint, you will save money and the amount you receive in dividend will remain the same. This actually benefits lower-income people the most, as lower-income Ontarians typically have a smaller carbon footprint, so they would pay out less in tax at the time of purchases, and would benefit from the dividend.

No matter what, this government should not cancel the current system until a Fee and Dividend system is set in place. We need a price on carbon to change behaviour and stimulate the green technology economy in Ontario.