Ontario NDP, Liberals and Greens Support Phasing-Out Province’s Polluting Gas Power

An Election Message from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, a non-partisan, not-for-profit citizens group advocating for a cleaner, green Ontario

Posted February 12^th, 2025 on Niagara At Large

In response to  our provincial election questionnaire [https://www.cleanairalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-OCAA-Provincial-Election-Questionnaire.pdf], the Ontario NDP, the Ontario Liberal Party and the Green Party of Ontario are calling for the phase-out of gas-fired electricity generation.

The Ontario PC Party has not responded to our questionnaire.

According to the Ontario NDP: “We support the phase-out of carbon-emitting gas-fired generation as soon as feasible, and see no justification for the Ford government’s short-sighted decision to expand gas power when other alternatives exist to keep Ontario’s lights on reliably and affordably.”

According to the Ontario Liberals: “We agree with you that we need a clean electricity grid both to attract investment and create jobs, and also for the sake our health and clean air… We are also committed to not procuring any new gas-powered electricity and ensuring that the existing capacity only gets used as a backup in exceptional and emergency circumstances.”

According to the Ontario Green Party: “Ontario should phase out gas power by 2035, except in exceptional and emergency circumstances totaling less than 88 hours per year.”

Here are the parties’ full responses:

Ontario NDP response [https://www.cleanairalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ndp-response.pdf] Ontario Liberal Party response [https://www.cleanairalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/liberal-response.pdf] Green Party of Ontario response [https://www.cleanairalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/GP-response.pdf]

Gas needs to go.

Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator is forecasting that pollution from Ontario’s gas-fired power plants will increase by more than  500% by 2030 [https://www.cleanairalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Going-in-the-Wrong-Direction-Report-apr-15-v_01.pdf]. By 2030, 25% of Ontario’s electricity supply will be produced by burning dirty fossil gas – up from only 4% in 2017.

Ontario can phase-out polluting gas power and  lower electricity bills [https://www.cleanairalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/options2024-april.pdf] by investing in energy efficiency, wind and solar power, and energy storage.

Thank you for raising electricity issues in the election with your local candidates.

• Angela Bischoff, Director, Ontario Clean Air Alliance

For more, click on [https://www.youtube.com/c/OntarioCleanAirAlliance]

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