[ Pictured Above ] Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph, and Evan Ferrari, Executive Director, eMERGE Guelph
November 9, 2018 – For immediate release
Guelph, Ontario - Today, MP Lloyd Longfield met with eMERGE Guelph, a local not for profit organization focused on community priorities around sustainability. They discussed the Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund focused on improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions, saving money and creating good jobs across the province. eMERGE Guelph is one of the community partners providing input on priority areas for Guelph such as electric vehicle adoption, home energy tune-ups, and meeting Guelph’s renewable energy commitments.
Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, has announced that as a result of the provincial government’s decision to cancel all climate action programs supported by the federal government’s Low Carbon Economy Fund, the Government of Canada will explore options for reinvesting the remaining Ontario portion of the fund in initiatives across Ontario. Further details on these Federal Government initiatives will be available soon.
We will now be directly working with Ontarians and Ontario businesses starting January 2019, as we had promised provinces and territories two years ago.
In Guelph we will be working with community partners and businesses working to reduce GHG emissions, conserve power and water, and make our community more sustainable, and align federal and local goals.
Canadians are feeling the impacts and costs of climate change first hand. In Ontario extreme weather is being felt in the heatwaves and floods this summer and the devastating windstorms this fall. The federal government has a plan to fight climate change and grow a clean economy and the plan is working. Canada’s emissions are down and nearly 600,000 fulltime jobs have been created by Canadians since 2015. The Government of Canada is working with Canadians to reduce pollution, make life more affordable and tackle climate change.
Quotes:
“It is unfortunate the Ontario government is taking a different direction than Guelph and Canada in our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce energy and water consumption, and introduce new clean technologies to support residents and businesses as well as to create new business opportunities in Guelph. I am pleased to see the Government of Canada step in to support Guelph directly.” - Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph
“This is great news. Hospitals, Schools, municipalities and businesses can be huge drivers in our fight against climate change. Using financial incentives like this is key to get there. Energy conservation, efficiency, renewables and electrifying our transportation system are critical in our fight against climate change.” - Evan Ferrari, Executive Director, eMERGE Guelph
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Quick Facts
• Canada’s Low Carbon Leadership Fund has made $1.4 billion dollars of investment for climate action available to support provinces and territories, with a priority on energy efficiency.
• Greater energy efficiency will help improve Canada's economy and environment by creating 118,000 jobs by 2030, boost our GDP by $356 billion over the next 12 years and save Canadian households an average of $114 a year. The economic benefits of energy efficiency are enormous for Canadians. Every $1 spent on energy efficiency generates between $4-$8 of GDP.
Across Canada, the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund is supporting projects like:
• Nova Scotia’s energy rebate program that makes LED lightbulbs and smart thermostats more affordable
• Alberta’s program that helps farmers improve efficiencies and reduce costs
• The Northwest Territories’ program that regenerates forests to capture more carbon pollution
• Building retrofits in B.C. for homes and businesses supporting renovations and heating system updates.
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