Glen Murray. Photo credit: Toronto Star
Serge Halytsky
The province of Ontario announced a new climate change strategy on Thursday by investing $100 million from the Ontario Green Investment Fund.
The strategy is aimed “to take advantage of the economic and job opportunities in green technologies and to help homeowners to reduce their energy bill and cut greenhouse emissions,” the government said in a news release.
This investment is expected to save an equivalent of 1.6 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and in partnership with Enbridge Gas Distribution and Union Gas it also expected to help 37,000 homeowners to complete retrofits such as replacing furnaces, water heaters and upgrading insulation, the release said.
“Improving energy efficiency in the home is one of the most important actions we can take in the fight against climate change. This investment will help homeowners upgrade their homes and save money, while keeping Ontario on the path toward a low carbon future,” said Glenn Murray, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
It is the good second step towards better environment, said Keith Brooks, with the group Environmental Defence.
“We expect to hear some more announcements soon,” he told Humber News.
Environmental Defence is looking forward to hear about more action on employing cup and trade carbon tax revenue of about $2 billion on new environmental initiatives, Brooks said.
The official opposition in the legislature, the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, however expressed less optimistic look at the Liberal initiative.
“We support helping Ontarians make their homes more energy efficient to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and electricity costs. What we don’t support is the Liberals’ refusal to reveal how much their cap-and-trade scheme will cost Ontarians on their hydro bills,” PC Environmental and Cap-and-Trade critic Lisa Thompson said in a response email to Humber News.
The PCs have many questions about the Liberal government’s accountability and “how much this scheme will cost hardworking Ontarians,” and how it will affect the economy, the statement said.