(Vancouver) A new study concludes that BC’s ballooning shale gas industry is the natural gas equivalent of Alberta’s tar sands, placing the province’s water and hydro resource at risk as well as jeopardizing climate change policies.
Energy policy
This study argues that we need a fundamental rethinking of where Canada is going in its energy policy. The country needs a comprehensive strategy that would base its priorities on the urgent need to address global warming. The strategy should include a much stronger government role in shaping Canada’s energy future. It should also include a larger role for industrial policy and a comprehensive training and employment program. Trade unions, as well as environmentalists and civil society have much to contribute.
OTTAWA—Canada needs a comprehensive national energy policy, says a study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The study, by John Calvert and Marjorie Griffin Cohen, finds Canadian energy policy is explicitly driven by private market-based decisions, rather than careful planning by government to ensure good economic, environmental and labour outcomes.
If BC is going to meet its climate action targets, the province needs to shift away from natural gas and rely instead on clean electricity. Coupled with aggressive conservation and energy efficiency investments, this transition could be the source of new green jobs, particularly in the residential housing sector.
The challenge is this: while upper-income households tend to consume (and waste) more energy, it is low-income households who spend a larger share of their incomes on energy, and are the most constrained in terms of changing their behaviour.
A slide show about the debate surrounding the Manitoba Hydro Bipole III project. Narrated by Lynne Fernandez of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Manitoba.
(Vancouver) A new study calls for a more fair and effective approach to residential energy efficiency in BC as part of an aggressive climate action framework. The study recommends protecting low-income households from rising electricity costs and investing in retrofits for multi-unit buildings and rental housing.
On July 29, 2011, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) of Manitoba issued an interim Order denying Manitoba Hydro requests to “finalize existing interim rates and for an additional 0.9% rate increase for all customer classes, effective August 1, 2011.” The Order also notes that these requests “...will be further considered and may be adjusted on a final basis in a subsequent Order of the Board.”
The Winnipeg Free Press editorial “Best use of Hydro’s millions” (July 4) obfuscates several straightforward matters on Bipole III. The editorial states that Manitoba Conservatives claim that Bipole III’s west route “wastes” $3.2 billion (actually $3.62 billion is the latest claim by Hugh McFadyen on June 28). The editorial says the Conservatives “appear to reach their number . . . by throwing in every conceivable expense, including the kitchen sink.”