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Ontario Protecting Security of People By Opposing the Carbon Tax

NORTH BAY — Ontario is working for the people by fighting against increased costs to public institutions caused by the imposition of a burdensome federal carbon tax.

“The carbon tax will impact Ontario’s correctional facilities and OPP detachments costing them more than $1.4 million a year by 2022,” said Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli. “These are vital, important public dollars that should be going towards keeping our streets safe here in Nipissing, not going into the pockets of the federal government.”

The $1.4 million over four years could have been used to equip the provincial police force with 30 new cruisers for officers to patrol, or 43 drug-testing devices to ensure road safety or more than 2,600 bullet-proof vests to help officers do their job safely. This amount could have also been used to pay for the annual wages of approximately 16 correctional officers.

In addition to this, the OPP also relies upon the use of more than 4,000 vehicles in fulfilment of their duties. The carbon tax will cost this fleet more than $2 million annually by 2022, diverting community safety dollars from front-line services.

“Our government has promised to protect what matters most, and few things matter more than the security of the people. We want police, firefighters, paramedics, corrections officer, and other frontline responders to be able to continue providing the potentially life-saving services we rely on. That’s why we’ll continue our fight the federal government’s carbon tax,” said Fedeli, noting Ontario’s case challenging the constitutionality of the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act is being heard by the Court of Appeal this week.

The Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan commits to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, a target that aligns with the federal government’s Paris commitments, without imposing a carbon tax on the people of our province. Through the efforts of individuals and industry, Ontario is already most of the way to this target with emissions down 22 per cent since 2005.

“Our Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan serves as proof that you can both oppose a carbon tax and continue to do more to fight climate change – you don’t have to choose,” concluded Fedeli.

QUICK FACTS 

• The federal carbon tax on fuels came into effect on April 1, 2019. It increases the price of gasoline in Ontario by 4.4 cents per litre. This will rise to 6.6 cents in 2020, 8.8 cents in 2021, and 11.1 cents per litre in April 2022.
• The federal carbon tax will cost a typical household in Ontario $648 a year by 2022.
• The federal government’s carbon tax will impact:

o   hospitals by increasing annual heating costs by $10.9 million in 2019 soaring to $27.2 million in 2022,

o   nursing and seniors’ care homes by $6.7 million in 2019, rising to $16.7 million in 2022

o   colleges and universities by increasing their upfront annual heating costs by approximately $9.6 million in 2019, soaring to $24 million in 2022.

• Starting January 1, 2019, the federal government’s output-based pricing system for large emitters came into force.
• Ontario has proposed an emissions performance standard for large emitters that recognizes the unique circumstances of Ontario’s economy and its manufacturing sector. This approach would reduce emissions from industry, helping Ontario achieve its proposed emissions reduction target without imposing a carbon tax.