I am very concerned by the…

I am very concerned by the provincial government’s proposed Bill 4, Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, 2018. The cap and trade program put the emphasis on companies who polluted most to pay for their pollution. It created incentives for companies to lower their emissions – creating a safer environment for all of us.

The revenue earned from this program was put towards green projects. Rebates for electric cars and home renovations allowed families to transition to greener solutions and thus not relying as heavily on the companies that were the biggest polluters. Building transit and therefore getting people out of their cars. There were opportunities for schools to go green – installing solar panels on their roofs. This was a viable way to actually help individual families and businesses make a difference. Ontario was making a difference.

Climate change is real. There is so much work that needs to be done. The provincial government is taking us back decades and denying the need for an effective program to be put in place. People are dying due to climate change now. Our environment is being irreversibly damaged. I am so surprised that I need to tell you this. It is painful. I am a teacher – my students already know this. Why do I have to explain it to you?

I’ll be honest, I think the environment holds intrinsic value but I understand that not everyone agrees with me. Let’s talk about how much it will cost to actually cancel the Cap and Trade program. This is a system that is multi-national; including Ontario, Quebec, and California. Who is going to pay if Quebec and California sues us for cancelling the program? How are you going to compensate the companies who bought permits? Is that coming out of Ontario’s budget? There are estimates that it will cost Ontario $3 billion to refund these companies. I’ve also seen figures that Ontario has received $2.8 billion from this market. How will you replace this revenue stream? For all the hype that Ontarians are paying more – this cancellation will actually harm us financially in the end.

The move to cancel the Cap and Trade program, without having an alternative in place, also means that Ontario will not receive the $420 million in federal transfer payments earmarked for environmental programs.

Action needs to be taken immediately. Do not cancel the Cap and Trade program. Do not send Ontario back decades. Be innovative. Be leaders. Continue to allow Ontario to benefit from new green industries. Do not send our green jobs out of Ontario. Stop being so shortsighted.