I am very happy that the…

I am very happy that the government has taken the approach that a cap and trade tax would not positively affect the environment.
I would be much happier if the government did actual things to improve greenhouse gas emissions.
For example, Ontario could revitalize its green box and blue box program. Of the diverted material very little can actually be cost-effectively recycled, especially if there are no subsidies. Ontario should copy Sweden's model, Recycle that which can be economically and cost-effectively recycled. The rest should be cleanly incinerated to produce electricity that is green and reliable which uses a very small footprint. This is a much better than ignoring the toxic pollution connected to rare earth mining for material to be used to make windmills and solar panels. It is much better than ignoring the huge footprint required for solar and wind power. The power generated is much less expensive and much more reliable. As an added bonus we get rid of landfills!
As a second example, Ontario could centralize paving management for the province (all paving!) and then use AASHTO (the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) paving standards, selecting the solution that represents the best $/km/yr solution. Ontario has contributed to AASHTO standards. Ontario paving standards are based on AASHTO standards. Current paving selection criteria focus on $/km. The current selection criteria result in roads being paved much more frequently, costing billions but also generating a huge amount of waste and greenhouse gases (from the materials, traffic jams, the paving work and more). As an example please look at the private portion of the 407, paved in 1993 and not resurfaced since. This compared to the other 400 series highways that get repaved every 3 years! Similar improved solutions exist for all types of roads. This helps the environment, the economy, and the provincial budget deficit (and municipalities!). AASHTO paving standards cover every type of weather, traffic type, traffic weight, traffic frequency, ground material, and more! These proven paving standards don't need to be re-tested to be used in Ontario unless new parameters or materials are used!
These represent real solutions with a real current impact that can be affected by the province today!
If the province took over school board management, schools could be converted to geothermal heating. This would also reduce operating costs for schools and permit the introduction of air conditioning cost-effectively further helping to reduce greenhouse gases and reduce school operating costs!
The next set of positive action steps relate to encouraging the use of technologies like Markham based Pond Technologies Algae Reactors to be used by major emitters (Stelco, Dofasco and others) to reduce their emissions. All of these companies are exploring the possibility of working with pond. The province only has to look at the success of St Mary's cement to see what could happen if other major emitters started using the Pond Algae reactors. St Mary's cement is a major shareholder because they were so impressed with the process.
Happy to share more REAL ideas.