Ontario to announce climate change plan on Thursday

Minister says document will explain government’s goals, not put price on carbon

TORONTO — Ontario’s new climate change plan, which will replace the now-repealed capand-trade system, will be clear and achievable, the province’s environment minister said Wednesday.

Rod Phillips said the plan, set to be released Thursday, will not put a price on carbon — a federal requirement the newly elected Progressive Conservative government has vowed to fight in court.

“Ontarians cannot afford a cap-and-trade program or a carbon tax,” Phillips said.

“That is part of the core platform that got us elected.”

Phillips said this climate change document will explain the government’s goals and how people can help achieve them.

“Part of what we need to do is make sure that people see that the targets are achievable, that they understand what the commitments are and that there are real commitments to do that and also how it affects them,” he said.

“I’ve talked before about one of the things that has been missing in Ontario ... is a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of climate change in Ontario.”

Ontario is one of several provinces refusing to put a price on carbon.

Under the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, provinces that don’t have at least a $20-pertonne price on carbon emissions by Jan. 1 will have such a price applied by Ottawa.

All revenues from it are to be returned to people of the province where the money is collected.

There have been speculations about the province adopting a model similar to Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund to address climate change. That system provides taxpayer-funded incentives to businesses, farmers, and land holders to adopt environmentally friendly practices and technologies, but critics say it has allowed emissions to rise.

Green party Leader Mike Schreiner said the government must put a price on pollution and return the proceeds of that to Ontario residents.

“That gives an incentive for businesses to not pollute and by putting the money back in people’s pockets it helps people manage the transition to a low-carbon economy,” he said.

The province made close to $3 billion from cap and trade after the system was introduced in 2015 by the previous Liberal government.

The Tories’ Fall Economic Statement released last week pegged the lost revenue due to the cancellation of the program at $1.5 billion.