In Letter to Ontario Energy Minister, Niagara Citizens take Ford Government To Task For Continued Focus on Servicing Homes Across Province With Carbon-Polluting Gas
“Transitioning away from gas would make the cost of homebuilding less expensive for developers and would make the cost of owning a home more affordable for citizens — a win-win that your ministry and your government should support. … Ontarians are worried about the environment and the affordability of housing. They want to see Ontario as a leader of a clean, green transition.” – from a letter the Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara sent to Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith on behalf of more than 100 individual citizens and citizen groups across the region.
A January 12th Letter to Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith from the Biodiversity and Climate Action Collective Niagara
Posted January 19th, 2024 on Niagara At Large
Re. Legislation affecting the Ontario Energy Board Decisions on Enbridge’s Rate Application Dear Minister Smith:
In over-ruling a recent Ontario Energy Board decision welcomed by many citizen groups across Niagara and the rest of the province , the Ford government shows that it continues to favour tmore burning of climate-ravaging fossil fuels over greener, renewable energy alternatives.
Given your government’s focus on providing good housing options for Ontarians, the groups and individual members of Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara were deeply concerned to read that you plan to introduce legislation to reverse a recent Ontario Energy Board (OEB) decision.
That decision, taken by the OEB in December, was that they would not approve Enbridge’s recent ‘rate application’ because the utility’s long-term plan unreasonably assumed that every new housing development will include gas servicing, and furthermore that homebuyers will remain on gas for 40 years, despite an energy transition toward electrification.
The OEB stated that they: “are not satisfied that Enbridge Gas’s proposal will not lead to an overbuilt, underutilized gas system in the face of the energy transition.”
We share that concern as customers who, in the face of inflation, rising food costs, higher borrowing costs and fiscal challenges on every side, don’t want to bear the further burden of unnecessary natural gas infrastructure costs but we are also very concerned about the long-term financial impact your proposed legislation may have on new homeowners.
The cost to install heat pumps versus the cost to install a gas furnace, and central air, is virtually the same, yet, the cost of gas will only go up while a heat pump system promises significant reductions in home heating/cooling costs over time, making home ownership more affordable.
In an era of climate crisis, government should be doing everything possible to encourage installation of heat pumps, as an alternative to gas and oil furnaces for heating homes
This is not pie in the sky technology.
Heat pumps are here now and working effectively and Ontarian-owned businesses around the Province are installing them and are responding to the increased demand as homeowners realize the technologies’ many benefits.
There is no reason, given the long-term cost to homeowners, and the long-term costs to the environment, that your Ministry should not be supporting the transition to clean energy by upholding the OEB decision that will help facilitate that transition.
The OEB stated that showing the true cost of gas infrastructure up-front, would “incentivize developers to choose the most cost-effective, energy-efficient choice.”Stating that: “Consumers would benefit if developers chose to forego that up-front cost and opted against gas lines”.
Transitioning away from gas would make the cost of homebuilding less expensive for developers and would make the cost of owning a home more affordable for citizens — a win-win that your ministry and your government should support.
Minister Smith, if you choose to go ahead with your proposed legislation to override the decision of the independent OEB, we will not be silent. We are already making sure groups and media around Ontario are aware of our concerns.
Ontarians are worried about the environment and the affordability of housing. They want to see Ontario as a leader of a clean, green transition, and they hope that you, as the Minister of Energy, will champion that effort.
-
Submitted on behalf of Group members of the Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara.
To view the letter and the names of the more than 100 individuals and groups in Niagara that signed on to it, click on – file:///C:/Users/owner/Desktop/new%20posts%20fall%202023%20etc/use%20this%20-Letter%20to%20Minister%20Todd%20Smith%20OEB%20Decision.pdf
About Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara – Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara (BCAN) is a collective of Niagara’s environmental groups and citizens that advocates for proven municipal best practices and policies that protect and enhance local biodiversity and combat climate change
Visit Biodiversity and Climate Action Niagara’s site for more information by clicking on – (20+) Biodiversity and Climate Action Committee – Niagara | Facebook
To read a related piece that Niagara At Large posted on this issue, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2024/01/19/fords-christmas-gift-to-enbridge-gas/
NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.
“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders
Niagara At Large 