Ontario Green Plan Stomps Federal Canadian Plan
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05.11.07
Ontario is like California in the States- big, rich and powerful and able to set its own standards no matter what the feds do. Two days ago I was ready to trash Ontario Environment Minister Laurel Broten for her half-assed plan to reduce the use of plastic bags by 50% in five years, and her abysmal radio performance on CBC where she outdid Dilbert's pointy-haired boss by proposing "an impactful multifaceted approach. We have all hands on deck to build a lesser footprint and incentivize the public"
However notwithstanding her fondness for jargon, she has now proposed a solid plan for cutting emissions, closing coal burning power plants (better late than never) and burning biomass,supporting development of small-scale wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric projects; banning incandescent bulbs, promoting LEED buildings, and upping the credits for buying efficient cars. It isn't perfect but it is a laudable start.
A pile of different initiatives but Premier McGuinty (shown above with Laurel Broton) says small steps accumulate: "Somebody recently said that when it comes to dealing with climate change and environmental issues generally, it would be a mistake to look for a silver bullet and we should be deploying silver buckshot." ::Tyler Hamilton in the Star
Targets are not a plan, and Laurel Broten hasn't proposed one yet. The Ontario Liberals leaked some highlights to build some buzz, but what's there is almost all targets with relatively little about precisely how they're to be achieved.
The federal government's plan sounded good, too, till we actually saw it.