As an Ontario resident and a…

As an Ontario resident and a Canadian I firmly believe that the Ontario Cap and Trade system was a valuable program and would over time help to reduce carbon emissions in the province. The incentive programs offered under this program such as home energy upgrade rebates, and electric vehicle and charging stations rebates were a tangible way of encouraging people in this province to choose more energy efficient purchases.
While many complain that these incentives only helped higher income families, they did help middle income families who really wanted to invest in clean energy, and also helped increase sales in those industries which encouraged investment and research into more clean energy products. The long term effect would be to decrease costs and increase production of these cleaner energy products.
I was very disappointed to see these programs end. From my understanding, most industries had bought into the Cap and Trade program, and there were not many major complaints. I'm still unsure why it was cancelled, and hope to see a similar program return in the near future. Investment in clean, sustainable energy is key for our environment, children and economic health. We cannot continue to subsidize and support industries that use outdated and environmentally hazardous technologies.
Personally, I drive an electric vehicle and my family tries to make environmentally sustainable choices as much as possible.
Thank you.