McGuinty says no to carbon tax
GUELPH, ONTARIO - Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says the province won't join British Columbia in creating a carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
He says while a carbon tax is well suited for B.C.'s economy and the direction it wants to go in, Ontario is pursuing a different strategy.
McGuinty says that includes a renewed commitment to shutting down the province's biggest polluters – its coal-fired generating plants – which his Liberals failed to accomplish during their first term in government.
The premier says his government is also investing heavily in public transit, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area.
McGuinty wouldn't say whether he would consider a carbon tax in the future, but says it definitely won't be in the next provincial budget, expected in the spring.
Alberta, by far the largest greenhouse gas emitter in Canada, also opposes a carbon tax on consumers, which became a North American first when British Columbia introduced it in its budget.
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Electricity use actually increased during 2018 Earth Hour, BC Hydro
VANCOUVER - For the first time since it began tracking electricity use in the province during Earth Hour, BC Hydro said customers used more power during the 60-minute period when lights are expected to dim.
The World Wildlife Fund launched Earth Hour in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Residents and businesses there turned off lights and non-essential power as a symbol to mark the importance of combating climate change.
The event was adopted in B.C. the next year and, as part of that, BC Hydro began tracking the megawatt hours saved.
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In 2008, residents and businesses achieved a two per cent savings in electricity use. But since…
