Local elected officials worry about ‘green’ efforts in Throne Speech
Southeast Alberta’s politicians are wary about what might by in today’s Throne Speech in Ottawa, even if it contains job creation plans in renewable energy that’s an economic priority in the region.
“I’m afraid of the Throne Speech when it comes to green energy to tell the truth,” Medicine Hat Mayor Ted Clugston told reporters on Monday.
That is in relation to potential changes for the oil patch and the potential for new carbon pricing, said Clugston.
“We’d hope that if there’s money for municipalities we’d get our fair share, that it won’t all go to Ontario and Quebec,” said Clugston. “I’m tired and skeptical that it will flow this way, and I’m more afraid that restriction on oil and gas would get even stricter.”
Today’s resumption of parliament in Ottawa will begin with the federal Liberal minority government laying out its action plan for the economy that has been rocked by lower levels of activity and high unemployment due to the pandemic.
Provincial and opposition federal parties have stoked worry about the potential impact of a so-called “Green Recovery” deal, telegraphed by some in the Liberal Party as a way to juice economic activity while addressing climate goals.
Conservatives have been calling for a strong show of support for the oil patch.
Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner MP Glen Motz has suggested on social media that the Trudeau government is holding back both the traditional and renewable energy markets.
A letter signed by the heads of Conservative Party caucuses for Alberta-, Saskatchewan-, and Manitoba-based MPs outlines the need for oil patch support.
“Your Throne Speech is an opportunity to bring Canadians together and repair some of the damage you have inflicted to national unity,” it reads. “You need to prove to Western Canadians that your government’s talk of a ‘green recovery’ is not just code for further punitive actions.”
This spring the federal government forwarded more than $1 billion to the Alberta government to help spur cleanup of abandoned and inactive wells. The City of Medicine Hat projects alone have already received more than $1 million via its contractors who apply for the program.
Some of the largest renewable energy projects in Canada are located in southeast and southwest Alberta, though electricity production is a provincial responsibility.
Both the Conservatives and Liberals outline support for home renovation and retrofits, either via direct grants or tax incentives, in their 2019 election platforms.
Clugston said the City of Medicine Hat has been at the forefront with incentives for energy conservation and small-scale renewable energy projects through the HatSmart program for more than a decade.
A similarly designed program was launched by the province when the New Democrats were in power, and SaskPower recently unveiled similar incentive programs.