Bend over. This one's gonna hurt...
Posted on 09/24/2008 9:43:28 PM PDT by Libloather
Carbon tax to impact Sarnia
LIBERAL GREEN SHIFT KEY PLANK IN PARTY'S CAMPAIGN
Posted By SHAWN JEFFORDS, THE OBSERVER
Posted 17 hours ago
Green shift or green shaft? That's what Sarnia-Lambton must decide as it ponders the Liberal Party's controversial carbon tax to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the impact it would have on the Chemical Valley and consumers.
Dean Edwardson, general manager of the industry-funded Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association, said he's skeptical of Liberal leader Stephane Dion's "Green Shift" strategy.
"Anytime you bring a new tax in there's an impact," Edwardson said. "It's difficult to determine what the impact will be at this point. People are still going to be driving their cars and heating their homes. That means we'll have higher prices."
But that's exactly the point, said renowned climate scientist Gordon McBean.
The University of Western Ontario professor was co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change with his group the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and former U. S. vice president Al Gore.
McBean said the idea of a carbon tax is to push people away from fossil fuel dependance by offering tax cuts to some and imposing higher taxes on energy hogs and polluters.
"If you want to convince people to change their behaviours you make it cost more by putting a direct tax," McBean said. "You compensate by giving them money back in a different way."
All five federal parties favour a so-called "cap-and-trade" system which sets mandatory emissions limits and forces companies that exceed targets to buy credits from greener businesses that have lowered their emissions.
McBean praised the Liberal plan, but said it is complicated and offers a number of niche breaks for users across the board that will make it a hard sell. Regardless, the time to act on climate change is now and the program accomplishes two things; it protects the environment and Canadian's pocketbooks with tax cuts, he said.
McBean said the government would have to do more to help cities like Sarnia improve public transit to compensate for higher fuel prices the program would create.
Bend over. This one's gonna hurt...
Sarnia: hometown of the great Dino Ciccarelli.
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