ACTION ALERT

Can you believe the provincial government is planning to do even more to harm the development of clean renewable energy in Ontario? 

We have just heard from the International Energy Agency that the path to net-zero and a chance of limiting warming to 1.5C requires ramping up renewable energy fast! Now is the time to prioritize renewables - but the Ford government is proposing to eliminate legislation requiring this. 

Don't let the Ford government take Ontario backwards. They have already cancelled 750 renewable energy projects, taken a 90% completed wind energy project out of the lake, and shut down subsidies to grants that reduced energy use. Now the province plans to" repeal sections of the Electricity Act, 1998 and the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998 that were introduced under the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 to promote and prioritize the development of renewable energy".

The good news is that you have an opportunity to object, but you need to do so by May 25th, 11:59 pm!  

The government is receiving comments on this proposal through this portal link.

You can submit your own comments or use our suggestions - see the model letter below. If you have just a few minutes please click on the portal link. You can either register or go directly into posting comments without registering.

We also ask that you copy and paste your comments and send them as a letter to your MP and the MPs listed below. In doing so, please add your name and address.

Ontario's energy future is on the line!

We need to start making this an election issue now!

We encourage you to also send the comments you write to:

Premier Ford - [email protected]

Minister of Energy, Greg Rickford - [email protected]

Andrea Horwath, Leader, NDP - [email protected]

Peter Tabuns, Energy Critic, NDP - [email protected]

Stephen Del Duca, Liberal Leader - [email protected]

Mike Schreiner, Green Party leader - [email protected]

and your own MPP - find here: https://www.ola.org/en/members/current/contact-information

We've grouped the email address here so you can just copy and paste into the cc line, with your own MPP in the main address line.

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], pre[email protected]

Your personal email makes a real difference. MPPs gauge public opinion by the letters they get. Thank you for standing up for clean renewable energy in Ontario!!!

Model Letter

Dear MPP,

RE: ERO number 019-3471: Eliminating Renewable Energy Requirements

I am writing regarding

(in your own words)

-proposal to repeal provisions

- that prioritize renewable energy

- in the Electricity Act &

- Ontario Energy Board Act

(your objections – raise a couple of these points)

• Climate emergency
• Climate targets cannot be met without renewables
• Out of step with what the world is doing
• World is reducing GHG emissions
• World is developing renewable energy sources
• A backwards step for Ontario

(enter a reference, one of the following)

- A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calls for reduction of 45% by 2030

-International Energy Agency (IEA) report just released Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, states “Renewable energy technologies like solar and wind are the key to reducing emissions in the electricity sector, which is today the single largest source of CO2 emissions.”[1]

- it is recommending increasing renewable energy.

Prioritizing the development of clean renewable energy – both within Ontario and by connecting Ontario to Quebec hydro power - has multiple benefits for Ontario and Ontarians.

(change the following: put the following points in your own words)

• Reduce Ontarians’ electricity bills. According to the International Energy Agency, onshore wind and solar are now the lowest cost sources of new electricity supply in most countries and these costs are projected to continue falling. Quebec Hydro power at the offered cost of 5c per kwh is also significantly cheaper than the 9.6c per kwh for nuclear energy, a cost that is projected to rise to pay for the refurbishment of nuclear power plants.[2]
• Provide job and educational opportunities. Renewable energy sources are the energy systems of the future. Young people in Ontario should have the same opportunity as their global peers to learn about renewable energy and train for the jobs they will provide.
• Attract investors and research talent. By prioritizing renewable energy, Ontario could position itself as a clean energy leader. Failing to do will so, while other jurisdictions such as the United States invest trillions in renewable energy, will only put Ontario farther and farther behind.
• Provide health benefits. Investment in renewable energy will reduce air pollution thereby improving the health of communities across Ontario and reducing public health expenditure.[3]
• Enable Ontario to play its part in ensuring that Canada reaches its new climate target of 45% emission reductions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. It bears repeating that failing to prioritize renewable energy will make meeting this crucial target extremely difficult

Personalize with your own reasons…

Given all these benefits, I ask that you urge the provincial government to reconsider its proposal to eliminate provisions to prioritize renewable energy. For the sake of all Ontarians and particularly the children of Ontario, it is crucial that this province prioritize a clean energy future.

Sincerely,

(your name)

[1] IEA (2021), Net Zero by 2050, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050

[2] Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Phasing Out Ontario’s Gas-Fired Power Plants: A Road Map (April 2020, updated Jan 2021): 6

[3] “Health and climate benefits of different energy-efficiency and renewable energy choices.” Jonathan J. Buonocore, Patrick Luckow, Gregory Norris, John D. Spengler, Bruce Biewald, Jeremy Fisher, and Jonathan I. Levy. Nature Climate Change volume 6, pages100–105 (2016)

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