catch up Ontario!

For a province with so much riding on the future of the automotive industry, you can't shake the feeling that Ontario is starting to fall badly behind in the electric vehicle revolution now unfolding - elsewhere.

Latest is the news that China is pulling together its industrial actors and investing $15 billion to become a leader in electric and hybrid vehicles. One commentator said this of the move:

“The car industry was long ago designated as a pillar industry for China. And the second thing is green technology or high tech; this is where the action is going to be, and China wants to be there.”

One can imagine substituting "Ontario" for "China" in that first sentence, but what about the second?

And, it's not just China that sees the opportunity. Last month, U.S. President Obama was in neighbouring Michigan to break ground on a new battery factory to serve the electric vehicle industry. His administration has allocated $5 billion to electric vehicles, and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm estimates that 62,000 jobs associated with the industry will be generated in that one state over the next decade.

So, where is Ontario? The McGuinty government seems to "get it" on one level that this is the future, but has so far confined itself to consumer rebates on electric vehicles, and committing to buy electric vehicles for government fleets.

This is all to the good, but amounts to small baby steps while our competitors take giant strides. We are getting left behind.

Fundamentally, this is a matter of infrastructure and industrial policy. Electric vehicle take up by Ontario drivers will only happen in a meaningful way when the infrastructure is in place to support them. And, this involves action on multiple fronts, including standard setting, grid upgrades, and charging stations.

Industrial policy involves working with existing and new companies and workers on creating the conditions where electric vehicle components are developed and manufactured in Ontario rather than elsewhere, and ensuring that these vehicles are powered by clean, renewable energy produced here at home to create even more jobs.

The necessary comprehensive policy for Ontario to catch up and to become a leader in electric vehicles cuts across several Ministries and therefore needs some kind of cross-government Task Force to pull the right decision makers together to make it happen. Such a Task Force should be coupled with an advisory body that brings in experts from municipalities, industry, labour, and environmental organizations.

Oil is a finite resource, and as the Gulf spill and ongoing tar sands destruction have shown, comes at an increasing cost to our life support systems. Ontario needs to catch up to other jurisdictions in pursuing electric vehicles as one core part of getting off oil, and needs to significantly up its game on this front, starting today.

Matt Price
Policy Director

Obama Spills Into Quebec

Last night U.S. President Obama gave an Oval Office address about the BP spill, rightly pointing out that the bigger message it sends us is that we need to break our addiction to oil.

At the same time, the Quebec and Ontario Premiers began meeting in Quebec City, and both underlined the need to move ahead on regulating large polluters in the transition to a clean energy economy. They too are taking the lesson of the BP spill to heart.

Unfortunately, this continues to stand in stark contrast to what we are hearing from Ottawa. A British diplomat is the latest to push the boundaries of what is usually said and not said in those overly polite circles (following the Mexican President) by contradicting Canadian Environment Minister Jim Prentice who has an intentionally overly rosy view of progress on climate change.

The one line from the Oval Office address that stood out as the exact opposite of what the Canadian federal government believes is when Obama said this: "the one approach I will not accept is inaction."

Right now it seems that any hopefulness we have in Canada must come from provincial capitols. Let's see what comes out of the joint Ontario/Quebec cabinet meeting today, and what those governments will do to follow through quickly on ending our addiction to oil.

Matt Price
Policy Director
Environmental Defence

Don't SLAPP me

Today over 60 groups in Ontario released a letter calling on the McGuinty government to follow Quebec and dozens of U.S. states in banning so-called SLAPPs - strategic lawsuits against public participation.

Some citizens who speak out in the democratic process find themselves at risk of losing everything when big money interests take them to court. Even if those lawsuits end up being thrown out, it has a chilling affect, since many can't afford the legal fees to fight in court.

So, if we want a well functioning democracy, citizens should not be afraid to speak out. The McGuinty government should pass legislation prohibiting SLAPPs.

Matt Price
Policy Director
Environmental Defence

Harper's Climate Isolation

Stephen Harper has made the political calculation that he can simply weather the criticism for being such a climate laggard. But, seemingly by the hour he appears more and more isolated - going against other countries, against the provinces, and against public opinion.

Yesterday, the Government of Quebec just slammed Ottawa for not doing enough as it laid out its own 2020 targets that go well beyond those of Harper.

Today, the Government of Ontario is telling Ottawa that the progress it is making shutting coal plants cannot be squandered by increases in tar sands pollution.

And, since Harper's favourite line these days is that he simply can't stop tar sands polluters until he knows what the Americans are doing, word comes that the U.S. is ready to show up in Copenhagen with a target to table - not a great target, but an indicator that they are moving, and so Harper's argument is a false one.

All this comes on the heels of a new poll showing four out of five Canadians are embarassed by Canada's lousy climate record.

Harper's government looks increasingly isolated on this issue, ignoring the plight of Canada's kids as the inheritors of a deteriorating atmosphere, and also ignoring that the next indusrial revolution - decarbonizing the economy - is already underway, with Canada bringing up the rear.

Matt Price
Program Manager
Environmental Defence