I completely oppose this…

I completely oppose this policy and urge you to withdraw this Bill. The world is in danger. Catastrophic climate change would make large parts of the planet uninhabitable and severely disrupt other areas. In the long run, nobody would be safe. We are starting to feel the effects already. Scientists insist that we must reduce carbon emissions drastically and quickly. Cap and Trade is an efficient, market-based and inexpensive way to ensure emission reductions. This method has saved Ontario from Acid Rain and can help to save the world from Catastrophic Climate Change. Any problems with the program should be fixed rather than cancelling the whole program with only a vague promise of a new plan. We have no time to lose. Please keep cap and trade and improve it rather than cancelling it!

I am absolutely prepared to pay my share to help save the planet for my children and future generations. I completely reject political rhetoric that extols lower gas prices. It is morally wrong to make destroying the future as cheep as possible. Pricing emissions is also essential for reducing them. No other program would work in the long run due to the Jevons Effect. For example, subsidizing house insulation would cut emissions and save people money - which they could easily spend on larger cars with higher emissions. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox
We cannot afford wishful thinking - pricing emissions is the only way to prevent any other emissions reductions from backfiring.

Cap and Trade across borders is proven to work in North America: The Acid Rain Reduction Program has headed off that menace by capping SO2 and NOx emissions and allowing businesses in Canada and the U.S. to trade permits. The most efficient company at reducing emissions can sell its excess permits to less efficient ones - creating an incentive to reduce emissions in the most effective way. See https://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/acid-rain-program

An Ontario Government study cited in the 2016 Auditor-General's Report on Cap and Trade showed that the current Cap and Trade system is the least expensive option per tonne of emission reductions. It would help to keep Ontario businesses competitive while we do our share to help save the world.

The Ontario Auditor-General's report on identified some challenges that should be fixed: ensuring that emission cuts count only once; compliance with federal and international programs; and avoiding a surplus of emission permits until 2030, when larger reductions begin. These technical challenges should be fixable by negotiating with Ontario's partners, Quebec and California. They cannot justify cancelling the whole program, and the Auditor General did not recommend this action. See the report (PDF) at http://auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arreports/en16/v1_302en16…

I disagree with the Auditor-General's other concern, that Ontario businesses would pay companies in Quebec and California for emission permits. Ontario businesses pay Quebec and California suppliers for other things all the time - businesses want to buy from the least costly sources. Again, this Cap and Trade program would cost Ontario companies less than alternatives. And the atmosphere does not care where we cut emissions - only the global total matters.

Our children and future generations deserve our best efforts to help them, not wishful thinking and empty promises. I urge you to keep and improve the current Cap and Trade program.

Thank you in advance for considering my comments.