Green programs tied to cap and trade in limbo as Ford vows to scrap carbon pricing
TORONTO — With Ontario’s cap-and-trade system headed for the chopping block, several green initiatives and projects funded by the program are also on their way out — and some environmental advocates and experts say more rollbacks are likely as the province swears in a new Progressive Conservative government focused on cutting costs and helping business.
Doug Ford, Ontario’s incoming premier, has vowed to immediately dismantle cap and trade once the legislature resumes and to fight a federal carbon pricing program set to kick in next year, saying the measures hurt families and do nothing for the environment.
Some rebates for energy-efficient renovations that were financed through cap-and-trade revenues are already being phased out even though Ford, whose swearing-in is scheduled for next week, has yet to officially kill the program.
Other green initiatives expected to soon wind down as a result of axing cap and trade include retrofits to social housing, energy-efficient upgrades for schools and hospitals, and cycling and transit infrastructure, experts say.