Rising energy prices are affecting individuals, families and businesses across Ontario. Mismanagement and a lack of planning have left us scrambling with an energy system that doesn’t meet our needs.
It’s time for a new approach.
Ontario has important choices to make – right now – that will affect our sources of energy for generations. We can repeat past mistakes by locking ourselves into big, inflexible, expensive new nuclear plants—even while we are still paying the decades-old debt from the last round on every electricity bill. Or we can embrace a new energy era that invests in the future.
The only way to generate long-term, sustainable savings on our energy bills is to eliminate waste and prioritize efficiency and conservation. Transitioning to flexible, decentralized and community-based energy production makes sense. We need to focus on local ownership, local decision-making and local benefits to stimulate job creation in communities across the province.
We also need a strategy to tackle rising transportation costs caused by traffic congestion and high fuel prices. Smart planning and strategic investments in efficient transportation systems can reduce gridlock, save us time and money, and reduce fuel consumption and pollution.
The Green Party’s energy plan is focused on sensible solutions that will reduce our province’s carbon footprint, make our economy more efficient and save us money today, tomorrow and years from now.
Your Green MPPs will:
1. Prioritize energy efficiency and conservation to reduce Ontario’s energy consumption
a. Save you money and create jobs by reinstating and expanding the home energy savings program as part of a comprehensive Green Building Program
b. Capture waste heat from chimneys in large buildings and turn it into electrical energy by increasing generation targets for combined heat and power
c. Remove barriers so entrepreneurs can save us money with innovative technologies in conservation, efficiency and a new smart grid
2. Pursue a secure and financially responsible energy supply
a. Require local participation in energy projects; support micro-generation and community-based renewables that generate local benefits
b. Negotiate agreements to purchase inexpensive hydroelectricity from neighbouring provinces and increase hydro generation in Ontario
c. Protect our pocketbooks by opposing construction of new nuclear plants and prohibiting cost overruns for nuclear projects from being passed to rate-payers and tax-payers
3. Implement a sustainable transportation plan to reduce gridlock and lessen the impact of rising fuel prices
a. Promote efficient, liveable communities where streets and roads are safe for all users
b. Reduce commuting costs by supporting transit and affordable commuter benefits including incentives for ride-sharing, more high-occupancy vehicle lanes, and tax credits for public transit users
c. Increase incentives for low-emission, fuel-efficient and electric vehicles
For more information on the Green Party's energy plan for Ontario, find more information here,
http://gpo.ca/issues
