I find it incredulous and…

I find it incredulous and embarrassing that my provincial government would withdraw from the Federal Government's carbon tax plan without having announced a viable actionable alternate plan to tackle climate change in light of the UN Panel's report released earlier this week. This is in spite of the fact that there are numerous studies that have indicated that the province could economically benefit (or at least, be unimpacted) from the implementation of a revenue-neutral carbon tax plan. Cooperation with the Federal Government could also have the following benefits:

1) Economically incentivizing Ontario to become a leader in technology research and innovation, ultimately creating jobs and economic gains in industries that are expected to be global

2) Forcing producers of products that generate high pollution to bear all costs associated with production, including externalities that are currently paid for by tax payers (through healthcare costs, insurance costs etc.)

3) Assist the Province in generating revenue which could be utilized to build transit infrastructure, reduce taxes or tackle a number of other pressing issues.

Not to mention that this would at least be a step in the right direction in our battle with climate change, which may result in untold consequences both relating to healthcare and the economy. If the Province of Ontario is going to abandon this plan, they should have an alternative plan in place which has been approved after consultation with industry, taxpayers and other stakeholders. If that's not the case, I'd rather see my government work with the Federal Government to ensure the Federal plan is implemented in Ontario's best interests.