Premier shifts into green gear WAYNE THIBODEAU The Guardian
Premier Robert Ghiz is endorsing a controversial plan by federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion that will increase taxes on home heating fuel while cutting income tax to offset the increase.
Green shift, as the Liberals are calling it, is aimed at discouraging pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
“I think green shift is the way to go,’’ Ghiz said in an interview with The Guardian.
“I think it’s a good idea but what we have to do is make sure it doesn’t hurt jurisdictions like Prince Edward Island.
“What we have to do as a provincial government is make sure that we work with whatever party is in power federally to make sure that when that tax shift does take place that seniors have more money, that low-income Islanders do have more money.’’
But Conservative energy critic Mike Currie said green shift will take up to $26 million more annually out of the pockets of Islanders. He said that’s because green shift will push up the price for home heating oil, propane and diesel.
His staff at the Opposition office crunched the numbers.
Currie said green shift will push up the price of home heating fuel — already at record highs — by another 11.3 cents per litre; it will drive the price of propane up by another 6.1 cents per litre; and it will increase the price of diesel, which is as high as $1.60 per litre at full service stations on the Island, by another 7.0 cents per litre.
Gasoline would be exempt from the green shift’s carbon tax.
“I think that this guy is running this government off the seat of his pants,’’ said Currie, who has spent 20 years in the oil business.
“I really get frustrated with how they are running government. I don’t think (Ghiz) or his staff gave this five minutes notice.’’
Currie said he’s hearing every day how Islanders are already suffering from the record-high price of fuels, including home heating fuel. He said green shift will only add to the burden.
The federal Liberals claim that any increases in fuel costs will be offset by tax cuts.
“I just can’t believe that the premier is not placing Islanders first.’’
Islanders can expect to hear a lot more about green shift in the coming days.
Federal Liberal Leader Stephane Dion will be in Prince Edward Island Friday for a town hall meeting on his green shift plan.
Earlier this week, Liberal Bob Rae said an additional $1 billion has been set aside for further offsets that will be announced in September for those places like P.E.I. that have few options for alternative fuels and heating sources.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, who was on the Island last week, said green shift is a “bad deal for Islanders.’’
Ghiz admits Prince Edward Island is in a unique position across Canada because of its reliance on home heating fuel.
Most other provinces, especially in urban centres, have access to the much lower-priced natural gas to heat their homes.
The Island premier said the tax shift should offset increases in home heating fuel for Islanders.
“We need to make sure that because Prince Edward Island is in a unique situation that if there is an additional burden out there on people with regards to home heating fuel that there are other mechanisms to help offset some of those costs. I think that’s what we’re seeing from this program.’’
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Jason White from Charlottetown, PE writes: This green agenda is not about helping anyone, poor people get poorer, the rich get richer. People are not interested in saving the planet even though they say they are, people in PEI complain about parking, imagine if they had to use a car less or consume less, it's just not going to happen. When a family has a choice to eat, or pay tax, food will always win out, when chaos ensues because someone doesn't have a job or cant feed his family, no amount of green talk will convince him to do anything but survive. Green talk is for those who live outside of the system and those who have the financial means to manipulate the system to their advantage.
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Former Islander from PEI writes: I'm glad to read that Ghiz is supporting a carbon tax, but how does he reconcile this with his decision to slash PEI's gas tax?
Taxing carbon is a critical part of any serious plan to stop runaway climate change. It sends an important price signal throughout the economy and, combined with shifting taxes off of jobs and income, gives citizens more control over the taxes they pay and leaves people better off. The Liberal plan is a step in the right direction but does too little, too late. The Green Party's plan offers faster action and will result in greenhouse gas emissions much sooner. We cannot afford to wait.
Jason White: there won't be a system left if we don't act on climate change without further delay by shifting to a zero carbon economy. There are no jobs on a dead planet.
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how?? from PE writes: Can someone explain to me how more taxes is going to cut greenhouse gas emissions. All it will do is put more money in the hands of politicians and less in the pockets of the average worker. If you really want to get rid of the hot air. get rid of the politicians. That should cut the hot air emissions by about eighty percent. The carbon tax makes about as much sense as the GST which was to pay the national debt but was absorbed into the Government triangle.
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you've GOT to be kidding from pe writes: um, premier, have you lost your mind? I can't afford oil now - how will I afford it with even MORE taxes!!! We MUST fight this fellow islanders! We'll all be freezing to death if we dont this winter!
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Garth Staples from PE writes: Panic is in the streets. The sky is falling.
Dion is trying to get elected on the backs of the poor and those on fixed incomes. How will an income tax reduction help these people?
If you think the economy is 'uncertain' now what will you say in five years if the Dion plan were launched?
People in ivory towers should
stay in ivory towers.
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Oily the Splotch from PE writes: This is not a revenue neutral scheme. Tax payers would only get back a bit more than half of what they pay directly. The Liberals want to spend the rest on grande programs.
It doesn't matter which way you cut it, this is a half baked idea that, in the words of our PM, will crew everybody!!
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PAT of pei from charlottetown, pei writes: never mind the discussion on the green plan. another election will have to come before that could be implemented. lets get down to the facts that david suzuki is right about climate change policies for pei, that is where our gov. should pick up their heals and do something concrete about it. potato spraying, and other factors that have caused out problems should be acted upon in a direct way. our water table is far from safe so lets let the ones that caused this do the right thing .
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Quiet Observer from Charlottetown, PEI writes: It is sad when it takes a less than favourable report from someone like David Suzuki to drive our government to develop a policy on something. Government by reaction (instead of foresight), no wonder we are in the mess we are in.
And just as sad is the position young Mr. Ghiz has taken. How can tax benefits offset the increased costs of home heating oil and other energy when those who need the help the most, seniors and those on low incomes, pay almost no taxes anyway, or pay at the lowest marginal rate? Tax relief will benefit those who pay at the highest marginal rate the most, the wealthy. And what about the middle class? We end out carrying the burden of this intiative if the tax benefits are directed primarily at those with lower incomes. Tax benefits are not the way to help people other than lowering the marginal tax rates for the lowest levels of income and increasing them for higher levels of income. But heaven forbid you do that or those who have enough money to make all the donations to the political parties might get ticked offf - so put the screws to those who are struggling just to survive.
Another case of wealthy politicians being totally our of touch with the average person, and especially with those on fixed and lower incomes.
Young Mr. Ghiz, through no fault of his own, grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He has never gone hungry or not had enough money to put food on the table. He has never had to struggle to find a job as he has been handed political positions all his life. he has never had to fight to survive. It is not his fault, but it is reality. he, again not at his fault, has no sense of what it is like to be barely surviving.
We need a 3rd alternative to the tories and the liberals. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is sinking fast.
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Ron from PEI writes: He must have decided that he doesn't like being Premier after all. Because this is definitely going to make him a one hit wonder.
The Ghost of Pat Binns must have driven him to madness because the Green Shaft would do nothing but drive up gas prices and oil prices.
We didn't all have a trust fund growing up, Robert.
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it will help Liberals from PEI writes: Like his father - sucking up to Ottawa so he can land there after he sells out Islanders. He not concerned about Islanders - only his own political future. Good selection for a Premier, Islanders. He'll be off to Ottawa before the next writ is dropped!!
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Green WithEnvy from PE writes: Its good to see the Premier is recognizing that the Green Shift is the only plan that offer the only relief to low income Islanders and seniors for high energy costs.
Stephen Harper and the PC's(Petroleum Club in Calgary) don't care.
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Susan in the garden from E.Wiltshire, PEI writes: i just can't believe that on the heals of the devastating report by The Suzuki Foundation that Robert Ghiz is signing onto to this terrible idea. It will fail in meeting the needs to address the need to tackle the Climate Change issue and it will hurt Islanders very, very much. Like so many others are saying, this government has really lost it's way. It goes from one blunder to another scandal. Just look at the way the Liberal dominated IRAC, is kicking those poor people off the land they have for their trailers in Charlottetown. And the selling off of Island wind power to the New England states just makes my blood boil. We must keep this resource for domestic use. What other alternative resource do we have to get electricity. Robert Ghiz is certainly heading down the road to defeat when the next election comes. Too many people who gave him a chance last time have just simply grown tired of his governments total lack of ability.
Unfortunately for him, clearly, it is going to be a one term government.
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Not A Great Solution from PE writes: I totally agree with Quiet Observer.
Mr. Ghiz is NOT doing a good job. This decision defines reactive government. Please, Mr. Ghiz, I feel like you are systematically destroying this island.
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Harold Mac from OLeary, PEI writes: All I can say is this is the Green Shaft! Robert Ghiz is providing NO wind energy for PEI but he is allowing big foreign multi nationals like the French owned Suez Co. Ltd. to exploit Island wind and ship it to the states. It will be shipped along the famous Island nature trail and across people's front yards. So I guess it come's as no surprise that this 'rich kid' supports the rich, while ordinary Islanders can just freeze in the dark!
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ted from pei writes: Home heating oil is one cost I cannot
control.This would only help those in a higher tax bracket.Shame on you Liberals
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Deb from NS writes: Ghiz says, “What we have to do as a provincial government is make sure that we work with whatever party is in power federally. I wasn't aware that Dion had been elected and was in power. Harper, apparently, must not be aware of this.
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Jason White from Charlottetown, PE writes: Former Islander,
There is no such thing as a zero carbon economy, it is impossible to achieve, with countries like china and india coming on board as massive consumers of energy they could care less about carbon neutral. The whole green shift is split into 2 categories, 1. Those who are there to make money and fear monger people into the doomsday scenario, and 2. Those who think they are helping the planet by being green being good echo citizens, in reality the planet is doomed but neither you or I will be around to see this happen. The way in which most of our species lives is in cities, cities by definition are not self sustainable at all, it is impossible for them to be. If the food supply runs short, cities will be the first to fall as there is no way to support them, try telling this to people and they think you are crazy for not living in a city. When things do get bad in our life time, I am glad that I will be on PEI as we can have a self sustaining economy(fishing, farming wind power) and a border that we can patrol.
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Don't believe the hype from PE writes: I can see the Tory posters are out in full force this morning towing the typical Island line 'we don't understand it so it must be bad, all change is'.
Liberal dominated IRAC?!?!? Moe has been there raising the cost of living for a decade. The conservatives allowed for the monthly increase in electricity rates. I don't mind giving the Liberals sh!t, but lets not make stuff up.
Dion states that there will be offsets announced in the next month or so to ensure that the poorest Canadians do not bear the brunt. As well, Ghiz has stated that PEI is a unique situation and the Green Shift has to recognize this as Islanders are more dependant on Oil heat than any other province. Maybe these offsets will help the lower and fixed incomes move away from dependance on Oil. After all, that is some of what the provincial and federal programs administered through their Offfice of Energy Effiency does. After all, where else can low income families receive 0% interest loans of up to $10K to do work to qualify for federal & provincial grants & rebates and lower energy and oil costs. And these saving continue on long after the loan is paid back. And the payments are low.
PEI has some of the highest electricity rates in Canada. In place in Ontario, the rate is less than half of what it is here. PEI has no low cost natural gas. We are more dependant on Oil for heat than anywhere else in the country. Let's hear a better plan from all the whiners.
Dion, in my opinion is no leader. He does not have the Charisma. We may never see this plan as it will be hard for Dion to win an election. But, Dion does know Climate Change. He does now energy related topics. And he does know the environment, probably better than any other politician. Let's at least listen to what the offsets are before condemning his idea.
As far as the Suzuki report goes, read the rest of it. We got the same grade as the rest of the Maritimes. We were behind only three province, BC, ONT, and Quebec I believe. Ontario got a lot of credit for having an ambitious plan on climate change. They haven't accomplished what PEI has yet, but they have a heck of a plan. Personally, I am proud that we have already accomplished half of what they plan to do.
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Everyone from PEI writes: Everyone is an environmentalist until it costs them money or becomes an inconvenience. We pay now or pay later.
There are ways to reduce home heating consumption and fuel use. We need to start doing that now and this plan is a step in that direction. Europeans have been doing it for years. Are we really that backwards here?
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Sensible Shoes from pei writes: I feel very strongly that a carbon tax is just that...a big black tax grab. There is nothing green about it at all. All of the people who must heat their homes and drive to jobs pay huge taxes on the petroleum as it is. You want people to change...offer incentives to change the heating systems. Try offering the auto industry incentives to build cars that are not gas guzzlers. Saying the tax is neutral is a big fat lie and there is no other way of stating it. People who are buying oil to heat their homes are not all in an income tax bracket where they pay much in taxes anyway. All they will see is a tax grab. This is a stupid idea and will only be implemented if enough stupid people buy into it. If it becomes 'trendy' to do something green, then you can be sure someone wealthy will find a way to ensure it won't cost them more. However, the middle and lower income groups do NOT need more tax on anything. I feel very sorry for the older population and for young people starting out especially. Taxes will not fix the environment. The polluters were not the little guy working for a living. Go after the real polluters, like big industry in Ontario, etc. and force them to change or tax the BG's out of them. Oh Dr. Suzuki, please help the endangered species of poor Canadians...please. (He is not poor and lives in LaLa land, so I am afraid he would not understand our plight. I love and admire his work, but I think he is out of touch with the real world of Canadians who struggle to put food on the table now)
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Don't believe the hype from PE writes: Sorry, we were also behind Manitoba in Suzuki's report.
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frank from summerside, pe writes: The federal Liberals plan isn't just about tax cuts. It would put more money into the GIS for low income seniors, and it would also increase the Child Tax Benefit quite substantially. I believe this is the only plan that will do anything to help us achieve our Kyoto goals. If the cost of carbon is increased, people will consume less. We shouldn't offer incentives to huge automakers to make more fuel efficient cars. They are only now realizing that North Americans are no longer interested in big SUV's that get terrible mileage. Had they been paying attention to vehicles that Toyota and Honda make, they wouldn't be in the position of closing so many plants and laying off workers. We should adopt the California fuel mileage standards and implement a carbon tax. This will cause more innovation and more money will be put into research to come up with alternative energy sources.
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Joe Whiz from PEI writes: Bravo. A nice combination of sticks and carrots.
Yes, fuel costs will go up. The poorest in PEI will not be affected (as their oil is being paid for by public housing or subsidized). Heat on and windows open in the winter anyone?
Those who will be affected will be those that have proper incomes. Sure, if you have a home and/or car that lacks fuel efficiency, you will be forced to make a choice. And that is what this is all about, forcing citizens to make a choice.
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Bewildered from PEI writes: Isn't this the same government that doesn't want the HST because it would put taxes on items that currently don't have the PST? Heating oil comes to mind. What a way to help a lame Federal Liberal leader! For one who did vote to get this current provincial government into office, I am begining to wonder where it is coming from. Not very doubtful though about where it is headed if it doesn't start getting its act together.
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Bill VanIderstine from PEI writes: I can't believe that Robert is doing this.
I was sent a articial on this and the true effect it will have on seniors & low income if done. It is just another tax grab. Any one interested in reading the facts from a house hold that worked it out. Send me your e-mail and I will forward it on to you . Its a good read with a funny but true ending. My e-mail is harrow.fur@pei.sympatico.ca
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Quiet Observer from Charlottetown, PEI writes: We can see the 5th floor is reacting to public feedback with a few posts on here now.
What the 5th floor is out of touch with is that a lot of Islanders right now cannot afford the prices of heating oil, propane and diesel to rise. Where does the money come from to pay for this while waiting for a tax break on the few taxes that may be paid?
If the Dion plan comes up with something that will make this tax grab have a neutral affect on those with low incomes, or fixed incomes, then a second look is deserved. But this plan cannot be one that requires everyone to wait for their tax return to get the benefit. How do people survive all year while waiting for the tax benefit on filing a return? And how about the middle class people who may not get the tax benefit?
The 5th floor needs to feel what it is like to be barely surviving and living hand to mouth, struggling from pay cheque to pay cheque, for a while to see why this plan needs to have some relief for people on a day to day basis, not on the filing of the tax return.
We need a political party that looks at these things from the low income perspective. the Tories never did, and now the Liberals don't either.
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Old Tory from P.E.I. writes: It is time to recall this government. Can you just imagine the insanity of driving up the price of furnace oil with absolutely no alternative to oil in the works. If someone were to start importing coal from Nova Scotia and selling coal stoves then we couls all stop burning oil but then that wouldn't be green enough would it. Have you heard that wood is now almost 200.00 per cord ? IT is time to start planning on how to get rid of this government 3 years from now. Let's hear some ideas from the opposition.
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Diesel price increases Drives up Food etc from PE writes: I think that everyone knows, especially on an island such as ours, that the vast majority of goods, including food, are brought to us by truck. Fuel surcharges for trucking are at 47% lately. A $1000 freight charge is increased to almost $1500 due to fuel costs. A further increase in diesel prices will increase this surcharge.
This charge will than be passed directly to us, the consumer. Food prices, already high, will increase, as will almost all consumer goods. Even local products go by truck to get to the stores and this costs us all.
The home heating oil increase is simply a slap in the face to us here on the Island. I find it shameful that our leader will endorse something that will so obviously work to the detriment of almost all islanders....we are already struggling...this will just drive another nail in our economic coffins.
I can only hope that the Conservative minority government continues in Ottawa for a long while. With a minority they cant do too many crazy right-wing things and the liberals greenshaft will stay on a shelf.
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Don't believe the hype from PE writes: 'frank from summerside', you mention that if the cost of carbon increases, people will consume less. I think it goes a step further. I think people will not only consume less, but will look for alternatives.
In a previous post I mentioned some of the incentives that are to the Energy Audit Program. The province pays for the energy audit for lower income households. They rebate the taxes on any initiatives taken to meet the needs as set out in the audit. Plus the Federal government offers grants based on what work you preform to lower your eco footprint. PEI also offers up to a $10K low to zero interest loan to allow people to get work done or make the upgrades. I think payments can vary between $90 and $190 per month based on income and how much you borrow. This payment could easily be saved off your oil bill. I personally think it is a great program and have booked an audit. I don't fit into the low income so I have to pay $100 for the first 2000 square feet and $50 for each additional 1000. And unlike other years that programs were available, you only need to pay for the oil. Even if you rent you may be eligible. The way I see it, you can't go wrong.
Other than this frank, I agree with everything else you said. And as well as adapting the California Emmisions, I would like to see the Province adapt an Island Wide building code that would ensure a level of effiency in all newer buildings. That is th other aspect of the Suzuki report that I agree with. And I think with those few step, we could easily cement a true leadership in green initiatives.
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looking at a 1 term government from pei writes: Does anyone actually think that a tax will help climate change.If $1.50 a litre gas doesn't make u change ur ways $1.55 is going to make much difference.
Personally I can't see the liberals ever getting into power on this platform . people can't afford the fuel prices now. As far as the ghiz government going along with it - won't make much difference because they likelly won't be around after the next provncial election
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Please don't do this from PEI writes: Hey Old Tory,
do you really need to hear anything from the Opposition on this?
I think Ghiz, Texas MacDonald and company are doing a pretty fine job of recalling themselves ahead of the next election.
This carbon tax is actually discriminatory toward PEI because we don't have a manufacturing sector. The industries that we have here are all reliant upon diesel and gasoline. And then our homes are 90% heated by oil.
This tax would be so terribly destructive on PEI that it brings a tear to my eye thinking about the horror that some Islanders must feel right now. Whether you know it or not there are some people out there who spend their entire day worrying about how they're going to put food on the table between now and their next paycheque. There are single parents who have to choose between food for their children or paying their bills.
People on PEI work hard and have strong family values and do what they know to be right. We can't go around punishing them because they didn't have a trust fund as a teenager like Ghiz or because there aren't enough high paying jobs in their community.
This tax is a punishment tax on being an Islander.
Robert Ghiz should be ashamed of his government, and Islanders should know enough to make sure he never sees a second term in office.
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WARNING from PE writes: Has anybody noticed all the FOR SALE signs all over the countryside? People are so worried about the cost of rising oil prices, they are desperately trying to sell. It the carbon tax was placed on the already high
price of heating our homes, how would many folks live? ALSO-- If this was revenue neutral, and we would get all our taxes back, why bother? Just transfer the existing funds. This is a RIP -OFF TAX
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C. Little from PE writes: So the Liberals have done it—or are trying to do it. They hope to create another kind of sin tax. ‘I use fuel, therefore I’m bad; I can’t complain about paying the tax even though I find it difficult to heat our home as it is….’ The Liberals have always tried to convince us that our money is better off in their hands than ours(green shift=money from our pocket to theirs), and we all know how that has gone. This now makes two official parties who have no viable green plan.
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Katherine from PEI writes: Please don't do this from PEI- no manufacturing sector on pei? hahaha I bet you think the main industries are fishing, farming and tourism?
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Old Liberal from 2007 from PEI writes: hey Katherine, take your Liberal red rhetoric elsewhere.
Take a look at this info provide by the Government of Canada's factbook on provincial economies:
Agriculture, tourism and fishing are the economic mainstays of Prince Edward Island. Prince Edward Island's rich, red, soil is ideal for growing potatoes, which are the most important source of income for the province's farms. Most industrial activity has to do with food processing, although high-technology is becoming important, especially in the medical, electronics and agricultural fields.
Although lobster remains 'king' of the waters off Prince Edward Island, about 30 other fish and seafood species are caught, notably cultivated mussels, herring, bluefin tuna and the renowned Malpeque oysters.
Prince Edward island is known for its beauty, and over 800 km of beaches. Tourism has become a major industry on the Island and the new bridge to the Mainland has increased its tourist potential. PEI is the home site of Lucy Maude Montgomery, author of the 'Anne of Green Gables' and other books, and has become an international tourist phenomenon with people from all cultures coming to participate in cultural events and fairs.
PEI's main economic engines would be obliterated by this senseless new Liberal tax.
Can the Tories hurry up and pick a leader, I'm antsy to start working with PEIs next Premier.
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frank from summerside, pe writes: While traditional industries such as agriculture, fishing and tourism are very important on PEI, in terms of employment, they are not nearly as important as in the past. The manufacturing industry on PEI is the fourth largest industry in terms of employment. There were 5,900 people working in manufacturing last month. Compare that with 2,800 people working in agriculture, and 3,100 working in forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas. In fact, manufacturing was the leading growth industry on PEI last year. In 2007, manufacturing provided 9.7% of all employment. It is also the third largest industry in terms of GDP on PEI (11.8% compared to 8.6% for agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting). Hardly a non existent industry!
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Mary from NB writes: Oops, I think you mispelled Green shift
you left the F in the word??????????
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islander from PEI writes: How many of these politicians are making 40k - 50k, trying to raise a couple (or more) children, pay a mortgage, make car payments, cloth the kids, oil, insurance, food (nutritious) etc. etc. For many Islanders 40-50k is considered a pretty good living. People in this income bracket are being squeezed pretty good, trying to figure out how they are going to make it through the next winter....and look at those who are making less and wonder how are they doing it? I feel so bad for the seniors, many who just get by. I give credit to so many who are trying and working so hard to keep their heads above water. Another tax? You have GOT to be kidding.
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One LONG term 4.5 years too long from PEI writes: The Green Shaft will hit all PEI industries.
Including the manufacturing sector which will be penalized just as much as farmers.
It is interesting to see the numbers in terms of what industries are our biggest and so on. The way the Liberals treat Agriculture and the fishery on PEI it's no wonder their supporter up there didn't know these were primary industries.
No doubt the Liberals have been telling their party hacks that agriculture is the smallest sector on PEI so it doesn't matter if they let if fall apart.
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Deb from NS writes: Don't believe the hype says: I think payments can vary between $90 and $190 per month based on income and how much you borrow. Doesn't this sentence really make one sick, trying to put us in more debt. You can't afford oil, gas, you are having a hard time feeding your family, but they want you to take out a loan of $90 to $190 a month, more money out of your paycheck, more personal debt. Really, does that make any sense, maybe to them because they have our taxes and only want more. Just for an example, changing from an oil furnace to a propane furnace in the 1980's cost $5000/bank loan - interest, rebate $800 from the government. This did not help with the purchase of propane at all. The main thing to do is to save every cent you can possibly lay your hands on and not spend anything that isn't absolutely essential. One consolation to us should be that if we can't pay our taxes, not only the poor, but the wealthy will have zero money from us and will then have to come to their senses or lose their own shirts.
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John Q. from PEI writes: I'm not one to comment and complain because a decision is made by one political party or the other...the idea of being liberal or conservative goes out the window in this day and age when all you hear is one blaming the other for not getting anything done when nothing has ever been done.
There have been a few good points raised in this discussion. First, this is a complete contradiction of reducing the gas tax as an election promise....this goes to show that this gov't does not have an environmental mandate, or chooses not to be very public about its direction. I was thinking about this and you also have to look at the timing of its implementation. Would it come in during the fall and winter when oil demand is highest and the price is beyone what people can afford? That would be short sighted. Also, if it does come in then, people will freeze until May when they get their tax return back only to squirrel away the extra $300 that needs to be stretched out for the next winter. And where does that extra tax money go? Does it go to social programs or to green technologies. If it goes to Health care then we should collectively kick out this gov't as this money should be put towards lessening our dependance on oil and more on wind farms or solar or public transportation, or whatever is needed to be active, if not proactive, in finding alternative sources of energy.
If this gov't is going to put in this plan, they better be sure they know what they are doing and be accountable to us and let us know all the details. If we're talking political strip, which a lot here do, this could be Ghiz's wage rollback.
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Kevin from Summerside, PE writes: Yes PEI! Let's fight together to keep high cost energy sources that will get veen higher!
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Don't believe the hype from PE writes: Deb in NS, the purpose of the loan is to reduce what you pay in oil or other heat each month. Let's say you insulate the walls and floor of your basement and you put in a pellet stove at a cost of $6000.00 which you get the loan for. The province reimburses you the tax, approx $900. The federal government provides a grant of approx $1100.. That is $2000 paid back, you now owe $4000.00 which you pay approx $100 per month on. Your oil last year averaged $325 per month, which a lot of people's did. And oil is going up. However, after this, you only spend $200 on average per month for pellets and oil. And I know people who actually had a better result than this. That saves $125 per month. The loan cost $100 per month. You now are in $25 per month at current prices. And once the loan is repaid, you are in more, not to mention you have just increased the value of your home.
If anyone really cares, one individual who has convinced me to look into this stated his oil for Sept 2006- Sept 2007 was just over $3200. He put in a pellet stove after that. He spent $750 on pellets and just under $900 on oil this year, October 2007 to present. He has half a bag of pellets left and the oil tank is still 3/4 full. That is a saving of $1600 over the year and oil is up 30%. At todays prices, his oil in 2006-2007 would have been closer to $4200. I think that is a step in the right direction. Certianly better than do nothing and hope things get better on their own.
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One Question from PE writes: Everyone keeps mentioning having to wait until May to get the taxes back. I was always under the impression that when they lowered income tax, they took less off your paycheck to begin with. The same as when they adjust CPP & EI. They don't make you pay in the difference at the end of the year. Are your paychecks that good, that you don't notice these changes? You can wait till May, I would rather they took less tax off my check.
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Lynn Sawyer from Halifax, NS writes: To Jason White : I challenge your assertion there is no such thing as a zero carbon economy.
To Jason and anyone else who wants to open your mind to a hopeful example of the modern world's first zero emission's community GOOGLE the Danish Island of Samso (pop 4400) or check out this link www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDk4GtUh3HA for a mini tour of this Cool Solution.
PEI could potentially be a leading Canadian example of energy autonomy if Islanders embraced the European way practiced in particular by Denmark and Germany. Islanders could embrace the Community Wind concept where profits flow back into local communities rather than Big Wind where profits and renewable energy flow off Island. For more information Google the Nordic Folkcenter for Renewable Energy. Read up. Go to the town hall meeting and pepper Dion with questions before making up your mind the plan won't work. I've heard him speak in person four times over the past year. He certainly cares more about the environment than Stephen Harper. High oil prices won't matter if we're under water.
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LOUIS PATTERSON from CHTOWN, P.E.I. writes: Robert Ghiz. you just cannot see the forest for the trees,how in all that is so plain to everyone else ,can you possibly
not see that your national leaders plan is so detrimental to our province,
personaly, I believe it should be taken out & buried within the old city dump kitty corner to the site of the former
canada packers plant on lower grafton st..
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confused totally about this from charlottetown, pei writes: Think this through, Mr Ghiz. Another tax on home heating oil. There is no tax rebate on the increased rents landlords will have to enact on tenents. If you live in a rented home and it is heated by your landlord, you can expect rents to rise. If you heat your own premises but are under nine or ten thousand dollar yearly income, how do you pay another tax. I know the solution I found was to freeze in the winter. Get yourself invited to stay at a relative's home for a few days here and there in January or February, one whose income is higher than yours. OOps, what if you don't have a relative in this catagory. The heating costs were so bad way back twenty years or so, I had ice forming on my walls in winter. Twenty years later and the government expects those in similar circumstances to pay another tax. For low income persons, you have to get old before you get any financial relief.If you are not old already, when you get old the government willl have thought up some other form of tax they can apply to you. Another tax !!! Get real.
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frank from summerside, pe writes: People think Ghiz is going to implement the Green Shift plan. That is not the case, Ghiz simply says he supports this plan. If the Liberals don't win the next federal election, I doubt Ghiz will implement a carbon tax on his own.
Also, the provincial Liberals just announced the other day that they are working on a plan to address high home heating oil costs. They didn't say any details of the plan, but they will release the details next month I believe. Should be interesting.
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what a week from PEI writes: Monday:
Ghiz vows to lower gas taxes!
Tuesday:
Ghiz demands federal government lower taxes on home heating fuels
Wednesday:
Ghiz does nothing while gas prices increase 30%
Thursday:
Ghiz applauds decision to add new taxes to gasoline and home heating fuels.
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frank from summerside, pe writes: I think the problem with this plan is many people don't realize the details. Here are just a couple:
- The avg Cdn uses 1800L of home heating oil per year. By year 4 of this plan, you'll pay an extra 11 cents per litre of home heating oil. That comes to an extra $200 per year. If you have a child though, you'll get $350 as part of a new universal child tax credit. So that credit alone more than makes up for the increase in home heating oil.
- In addition, income taxes will be reduced 10% in the final year of the plan. That's extra money in your pocket every week. For the middle class, taxes will be 4 or 5% lower.
- There is a rural credit of $150 (whether you pay taxes or not) which would apply to many Islanders.
- The GIS would increase by $600 by the final year of this plan for low income seniors. Again, that would more than make up for the increase in home heating oil.
There are more details to this plan as well. Canadians are currently coping with high energy costs. Many economists predict the cost of gasoline/home heating oil to decrease. So by the time we reached the 4th year of this plan, we could possibly be paying today's prices for home heating oil and that includes a carbon tax. But you would have more money in your pocket every pay day because of this.
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struggling to survive from Malpeque, PEI writes: Robert Ghiz is destroying this province, one step at a time. How incredibly stupid can you be not to realize that a tax grab like this will be devastating to a small, fuel-reliant province like PEI?
Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us. ONE TERM for the Ghiz government.
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Jeez from pei writes: As bad as things get with this loser in power, I can rest easy knowing I never voted for him. I can also rest easy knowing he will never stand a chance of a second run..
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Paul from Stratford, PE writes: Dion and Ghiz both drive a nail in their coffin. Higher fuel and oil prices help no one but the rich and almost famous, who will receive tax breaks. The average person making $24,000 a year or lower loose big-time. Of course, Dion and Ghiz will still be able to afford home heating oil. This is the stupidest idea the Liberals ever hatched.
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frank from summerside, pe writes: Do you even know what you are talking about Paul? How do the rich benefit from the carbon tax plan? They receive the least assistance out of the green shift plan. The lowest income earners get the most back in this plan. How about instead of making things up, just go read the plan? Better yet, here you go: A single person making $15,000 per year will get $480 in tax cuts and other beneifts. If that same person has two children, They will get over $2,200. If a couple makes $20,000 per year, htey will get $1,158 in cuts and benefits. If they have two children, they'll get over $2,300. So please explain how you think lower income folks lose big time? I think it's pretty clear you have no ideas what the details of this plan are.
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Don't believe the hype from PE writes: Forget it 'frank from summerside'. All that is on here are Tory poster's who want to scream 'one term only' without ever discussing whether the plan has merrits or not. It is different, and on this small little island, different is bad. Arguing logic, or mentioning the other points of the plan will do you no good. People are convinced that this is as bad as that confederation bridge was when it was first proposed. The only thing they want people to believe is that Ghiz is raising taxes. Truth be d@mned
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Josh Lewis from PEI writes: To 'Don't believe the hype':
Sure, it's different. And sometimes that's a good thing.
But this tax grab isn't bad because it's different, it's bad because it aggravates the struggles most Islanders are already facing in trying to heat their homes. Home heating fuel 11 cents higher, are you kidding me?
The only thing this plan will do is put Islanders out in the street. I'm all for taking steps to preserve the environment, but the cold, hard fact is that we can't do that if our wallets can't afford it.
Thankfully, Harper's comprehensive economic background and his understanding of cause and effect will prevent the Liberals from ever getting a chance to drop the hammer on us.
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C. Little from PE writes: Frank, I think the day of people getting excited about Liberal tax scams are over. ‘You give us more of your money and then we will give it back to you…’ may have flown in the 70s, but no voter is ever going to fall for that again.
And I’m no Tory—and now I know I’m no Liberal either.
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Blind leading the blind from PE writes: I'm getting so sick and tired of hearing about how humans are destroying the planet! You've got to be kidding me!!! Why is it so hard for people to understand that climate changes are cycles...we go in and out of them! Has anyone heard of the Little Ice Age? Is anyone old enough to remember the scare in the 70's about how we were going to go into an ice age because of a cooling climate?!?!
Is this a case of selective hearing?!?! People, the polar bears aren't becoming extinct! In fact, may people in the North are talking about the polar bear explosion! There are more now then there was in the past years! SO GIVE ME A BREAK!!!
PEOPLE, have you not heard that cows letting gas produce more carbon being released into the atmosphere then humans! That's a FACT! Maybe we should start saving the planet by killing all the cows and gas producing creatures in the world!
Humans need to be good stewards of this world, but humans themselves are not going to be the end all of this world! Good grief people!
Recycle, use green bags, change your light bulbs, buy alternative fuel vehicles...ever little bit is a healthy choice, but making immoral taxes and laws that hurt those already suffering is just cruel.
It's so easy for people to get on their high horses and say, buy smaller cars, get a wood furnace or a pellet stove, etc, but due to a lack of compassion in this world, people can't see past their own noses to see how many fellow human beings are going to suffer due to this RIDICULOUS global climate scare tactic! I'm completely dumb founded at how sheep like people really are.
How many of you environmentalist, who want to save the polar bears, are just as concerned with the sweet little children that will freeze and starve this winter? Are any of you going to go buy our family a new hybrid SUV so that I can fit my childrens' carseats into one vehicle? Are you going to convince my landlords that they must put all new windows in our home, bulk up the insulation and put in a wood furnace for us? Oh, who's going to fix the health care system so that my husband can finally get the surgery he needs so that he can go back to work as we are not even getting enough money as it is to buy enough groceries each month. We hardly pay any taxes in because we hardly have an income to pay taxes on, so we won't find any relief from any tax breaks.
Oh wait, I forgot...we live in a time when it's all about the me attitude and self survival. Forget about those that are struggling. I'm so glad I have a caring God because if I had to depend on my fellow human beings, me and my family would have been goners a long time ago.
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Don't believe the hype from PE writes: To Josh Lewis,
If the only part of the plan was an 11 cent increase in Furnace Oil, I would be the loudest opponant of this plan on this Island. That is just one part of it though.
There is the 10% cut in Income taxes for the lower income bracket, and 5% approx for the middle bracket. There is the significant jump in the Child Tax. There is also the jump in the GIS portion of the Old Age Security, ensuring that lower income seniors can afford to live. From what I can see, 'frank from summerside' has actually done a decent job in breaking down the numbers to show how the lower income people and families fair better under Dion's plan. Combine that with some of the idea's that I have tried to throw out there, and I see a good opportunity not only to meet goals towards climate change, but to improve the incomes of all Islanders.
You can't just look at one aspect of a plan, and condemn the whole plan on that, look at all the factors. Determine if the good outweighs the bad. I think if you look at this plan with an open mind, you will see the good outweighs the bad by a long shot, especially for the lowest incomes.
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Deb from NS writes: Don't believe the hype: $25 in Whoopee!!! That's for heat, now how about factoring in power, you know lights, fridge, stove, freezer, computer, etc.? What do we use for that?
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frank from summerside, pe writes: To blind leading the blind. A carbon tax is hardly immoral. If you want to talk about morality, and taxes, then income taxes are far more immoral than consumption taxes. With consumption taxes, you have the choice of consuming more or less of a product (therefore paying more or less tax). With income taxes, you have no choice. I for one would prefer to have more money in my pocket, then have the choice of filling up an SUV with gas, or taking my bicycle to work.
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Revenue neutral? from PE writes: If it's revenue neutral then why bother?? If the Green Shift plan works and pushes us to use less, then won't that mean less revenue for government? If they are taking in less money, won't they need to raise taxes somewhere else?? This plan doesn't seem to make much sense to me.
Ghiz is playing true partisan politics and he's probably only doing it because he knows Dion will never be in a position to put this plan into place. Think about it. This is a government that rejected HST (which would be beneficial in many ways) because it would tax home heating oil.
Still I can't believe that he would endorse a plan that would raise home heating cost. He and his government lack political maturity and I really hope they collectively grow a set otherwise I'll be voting for any other party in the next election.
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Don't believe the hype from PE writes: Deb, That was just one example and as I stated, it was conservative estimates. Plus you increase the value of your home increasing your assets. You have to look at the bigger picture. And once the loan is paid back, approx 3.5 years in the example I gave than you are $125 ahead each month. And that $25 would cover about a 25% increase in the cost of electric. I guess you could say that you were increase the value of your assets for free.
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You gotta admire Dion from PEI writes: I'm impressed he's brave enough to try to sell this plan to Islanders.
First of all, his plan may be good for the typical Ontario family. They probably make at least decent money, heat with natural gas, and have access to public transit.
PEI is lower income than Ontario, reliant almost entirely on heating oil, and transit is almost non-exisitant.
Poorer and fixed income people are always more hurt by consumption taxes. They may not pay income taxes at all but will have to pay for heating.
Also I take issue with the Green Shift because it doesn't tax gasoline but taxes diesel. When you think about it, people who use gasoline are more likely to have other options- they could buy a hybrid, take public transit, walk or bike more often, etc. Diesel is used to transport goods, farm, fish, etc. anybody see any hybrid transport trucks or goods being delivered on the city bus??
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To Frank...overall costs us more still from PE writes: Hi Frank,
I have read the plan on the liberal website and used their calculator. I make a darn good living here but I have 4 kids and a fair sized house...my own choices there but thats what I have.
Liberal calculator says I get 1945 dollars per year back between income tax and child tax benefit. Great. HOWEVER...I use a lot of oil...if it were only 3200-4200 per year great...i m ahead....last winter it was 9000!!!
So, same consumption assumed and that 11.3 cents per litre costs me 1200 more per year. Seems like I m still ahead eh....what about the increased costs of food due to increased diesel costs, increased costs of clothes..same reason. While I make a good living...I am absolutely pushed to the limit every month. I dont want to leave this beautiful place but this plan would absolutely force my hand. I have put in a pellet stove to alleviate some costs but that isnt going to drop it all...and MANY islanders cant afford to do this, with or without the newly re-announced government programs.
It costs 1200 dollars to fill the tank now...11 cents is an extra 110 dollars every fillup. Dont get fooled by this program...Liberal backer or Conservative...I am neither...I just want to keep my family afloat like most islanders...and I cant afford this plan.
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Don't believe the Hype from PE writes: To over all costs:
Holy Cr@p that's alot of oil. You need more than this program. You are the exact type of person that should be calling the Office of Energy Effiency to look at a pellet stove or some other form of alternate heat, and some more insulation. I don't care how big your house is, and it obviously must be with the six of you, that is still a lot of oil. And with six people, you must go through a lot of hot water. You should look into one of those hot water on demand systems. Supposed to be far more efficient.
And on another point, where would you move? This is a Federal plan, not provincial.
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frank from summerside, pe writes: To the person who spends $9000 per year on oil. You said you would get almost $2000 in tax cuts and benefits, and it would cost you about $1200 more per year in oil costs. Look how much gasoline and diesel prices have gone up in the past year or so. Then look at prices for food and clothing. Yes they have increased, but certainly not by the same percentages as gas and diesel prices. I don't believe a carbon tax would cause inflation to skyrocket, so I think using your own numbers you would still come out ahead. You would have more money from your paycheque to cover the additional cost of the oil you would have to consume. And just think if you were able to reduce your oil consumption by adding more insulation, or getting a new furnace, or whatever it is your home needs to be more effecient. You and your family could really benefit from a carbon tax if you could manage to consume less oil. I don't really see how you can't afford this plan considering how much you'll benefit in tax cuts and benefits.
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VICTORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Pei writes: Global warming is real and yes there have been ice-ages in the past. One present theory on the creation of an ice-age is as the oceans salt content drops this cause a slow down of the ocean currents and possibly a reversal causing longer winters and an eventual ice age as the planets temperate drops. As there have been ice-ages there also have been warming ages where the world was covered in rainforest like forests and there was an abunance of CO2. Cow far-ts are not CO2 they are methane, and they do not far-t more methane then the CO2 we create. It's the CO2 from the decomping bodies of the cows that cause's the CO2.
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Jason White from Charlottetown, PE writes: Lynn Sawyer:
That is great for that country, and maybe you are one of the people that can live in a carbon neutral economy and lifestyle bubble, but I suspect you own a vehicle, or consume power to run your stove, your home or anything else you do. The fact is that even being Carbon Neutral wont do a thing to prevent the upcoming crisis that the world will face. People will have to stop driving, eating meats, stop using fuels that pollute and that is only here in North America. We are not talking about a little community, it is about a world change, since people are in the me generation it won't happen. The town that you mention is a niche, something that exists in its own little bubble, cities and urban sprawl are the biggest concern, do you think that a city can ever hope to be carbon neutral? It is an impossibility, paying more tax and more money does not solve the problem, all it does is allow those that have more money, power and resources to continue to prosper.
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John Q. from PEI writes: Whoever is doing what, they better do it quick...we're not that high above sea level.
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jaarle disgusted from pe writes: we won't have to worry about the green house effect as we as islanders will not be able to afford oil so therefore there will be no emmissions
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laughin out loud from Chtown writes: Just MORE proof that Ghiz is out of touch with Islanders!
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Chris from PE writes: Yet another indication as to just how out of touch the Premier and his Government are out of touch with Islanders.
I doubt the Premier or any of his staff or cabinet are worrying about the high price of furnace oil this winter or how they will afford to put out over $1,000 per oil delivery.
No I imagine they are not at all worried about the price of furnace oil or gasoline since they all have Gobvernment Issued Credit Cards.
So the fact that this silly plan will drive the price of oil and gas even higher for the consumer is NOT something the Liberal Government cares about.
The fact that many of us will have to cut back on food and other things just to stay warm this winter has NOT even entered the minds of this Government or it staffers.
Goes to show the level of contempt and lack of concern this Government has for the common Islander who struggles to make eneds meet.
So you go ahead and support this plan Ghiz and you high paid cabinet and staff that WE are all paying for.
We will remember in four...no Three or less than three years about how little you cared about us during the cold winters leading up to the next election.
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Blind leading the blind from PE writes: Hey VICTORIOUS...what exactly are you trying to prove or disprove? I'm assuming you are trying to disagree with my post, but you ended up reiterating what I said about climate cycles. There are many instances of cooling periods as well as warming up periods in history...say it with me C-Y-C-L-E-S, not global warming or the end of the world, just C-Y-C-L-E-S!
And how do the climate change experts explain why other planets are having warming trends WITHOUT C02 emissions? Do aliens on them there planets drive gas gussilers too? Or is it just another C-Y-C-L-E like Earth is experiencing? Hmmmm...
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Head above the water--bar from PE writes: Where do you get pellets, are they delivered? We are seniors and wonder what to do. Does it mean we get rid of our furnace? How do we heat water? Is there a tax on electricity? Does anyone know?
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VICTORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from Pei writes: Hey blind leading the blind, your one vey obnoixious person. I bet your really pleasant to be around. I wish I could be around you. You are also somewhat right and somewhat wrong. We have the highest ever CO2 emmisions ever recored on the face of the planet. How do we know this? Well we drill into the ice packs in the Artic and Antartica. From there we bring back samples say it with me, S-A-M-P-L-E-S of ice that is extremely old. O-L-D. We can measuse the CO2 in these S-A-M-P-L-E-S and have a clear snapshot of what was in the A-T-M-O-S-P-H-E-R-E. This present warming trend is happeneding at an unprecidented rate and is only accelerating. But I suppose some who is as educated as yourself (cows far-t C02) would know this. Thins about this, how polluted is New Orleans from Katrina. Now times that by 1,000,000. Worst case senario, massive flooding and as the worlds major cities and industrial areas are on the coasts C-H-E-M-I-C-A-L-S will pollute our oceans and waterways killing most life. And this is not taking into account the C-H-E-M-I-C-A-L factories in the cities. But your so educated (cows far-t C02) you would already know this. God now I know why I hate soda, (made with cow far-t bubbles).
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VICTORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! from Pei writes: Also CO2 is a greenhouse gas caused by many things. Fossil feuls are made of hydrocarbons as is most things on earth. A volcano errups one of the gas's released is CO2. Organic matter decompose's greenhouse gas's are released. Your so smart though you know this right. (Soda is made with CO2 so this means soda has cow far-ts in it). We are at a point in our evolution that it is time that we lived with the planet not against it. I suppose you think the plastic vortex in the Pacific Ocean biger then the state of Texas is made of Cow tur-ds.
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cruxoftheissue from pei writes: Frank from S'side and Don't believe the hype seem to be the only posters on this forum that actually have any facts to share.
Pretty much everyone else seems to be suffering from knee-jerk reactionitis.
People, PLEASE research this plan, check-out what assistance to switch from dino to renewable IS available and applicable FOR YOU, do the math, FOR YOU, and then post your thoughts.
Many here in opposition will benefit greatly from what they can't resist calling the Green Shaft (haha, but WRONG) and they aren't even illuminated enough to know it.
Here's the bottom line---CHANGE is already underway, the only thing left for debate is how we each go about ADAPTING.
Whatever your situation is, adaptation IS going to be required and since heating oil is NOT likely to decrease over the balance of your lifetime, you may as well get on board sooner rather than later to switch to something else that you CAN afford.
You can send your cheques to Irving to pay for ever-increasing costs of heating oil. OR you can get a low interest loan, which will be paid off in just a few years (and which, as Frank pointed out, can be funded DIRECTLY thru your savings on oil). GEEZ. It's not that complicated.
If you situation is REALLY REALLY bad right now, then sorry, but that's even MORE incentive to get moving on this. If you are hard up now, it will only be worse in 5 years if you do nothing.
The one thing that I do worry about are those in rental units--there has to be something more done to force landlords to be cooperative, at least. Otherwise 9 out of 10 people posting here CAN save themselves, if only they'd get on it.
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cruxoftheissue from pei writes: and another thing for all those that think that this situation is just SO UNFAIR!
IT IS.
There, now you have validation.
FAIR would be the humungous multi-trillion dollar profits from the oil-sands that the Alberta government reaps being redirected across the country to pay for each and every Canadian home to be switched over from dino to Green.
I'd personally be satisfied if I saw a convoy of trucks with Alberta liscence plates arrive in my neighbourhood to hand out and install FREE SOLAR PANELS.
That would be fair recompense for what they are doing to my share of this great country Canada.
BUT IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.
So, I have adapted to the fact that FAIR and reality are two different zones.
I'm in reality. I'm calling the Office of Energy Efficiency tomorrow to see what assistance they are willing to extend to me. And then I'm gonna take advantage of it, to the max.
It ain't fair but it's a whole lot better than crying in the dark while I wait for someone else to bail me out.
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Lynn Sawyer from Halifax, NS writes: To: Jason White - Try the cup half full attitude rather than doom and gloom for awhile and see how the attitude shift feels (more after my brief comments to others)
To: Head above water Seniors - Check out the breaking news from your Premier about ways the PEI government , particularly the Office of Energy Efficiency can help you. I wish we had all those offers in Nova Scotia. We have some incentives but not nearly as many. You asked about getting rid of your furnace. I'm not qualified to tell you to do that. I will tell you about an off grid house I recently toured in Wolfville, N.S. that was super energy efficient with no thermal bridges (studs in traditional wooden house construction are thermal bridges). It is primarily heated by SOLAR energy - passive solar. The windows have four layers of glazing which makes them way more energy efficient than any windows I'd ever heard of before. (I just learned that you can buy Canadian made windows that are R- 12- with 4 layers of glazing). They do have a wood stove that they cook on and that heats their domestic hot water. It is used as back up heat in the cold cloudy days of the year. The man of the house showed me one of his new 3 WATT LED reading lamps. I was impressed. The technology exists to make all sorts of energy efficient/ renewable energy choices. We just need the will to make those choices. It is not so easy to retrofit an older home to become a solar home, even if you have the right (south facing)orientation, because you won't have the thermal mass built into the house to held the heat after nightfall. Happy hunting for the solutions that work for you. One interesting source to Google is Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado.
I 've had solar panels on my house to heat my domestic hot water since 2002. They are made by Thermodynamics in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. There have been no problems with them in six years.
TO: FRANK FROM SUMMERSIDE - Good for you to take the time to explain the Green Shift Policy to people!
Back to JASON WHITE:
JasonWE are talking about a massive world change that needs to happen - that is happening. Check out the U Tube THE SHIFT. I mention the Danish Island of Samso as an example of what is possible. If they can do it their example can be replicated. They are not a bubble - they are leaders showing us the way if we choose to follow. I recently heard a speech by Preben Maegaard, Director of the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy. You can Google their website and learn that Samso is not an isolated example. the Danes are world leaders and early adopters of renewable energy. It has not only been good for the environment but it has been great for their economy. I first read about the Danes and Samso in particular in the wonderful book, The Geography of Hope by Canadian journalist Chris Turner.
FYI - Austin, Texas plans to be carbon neutral by 2020 and New Zealand plans to be powered by 75-90% renewables within 5 years. Source - Global Renewable Energy Trends Policies and Scenarios by Dr. Eric Martinot
www.martinot.info
Germany is also a world leader in the use of renewable energy. The town of Dardesheum in eastern Germany with a population opf about 1000 is powered by 100% renewables. There is actually combined capacity in the region to power about 25,000 households. They use the combined power of wind, solar and biogas. Source - www.time.com/time/specials/2007 - Lessons from Germany by Laura Blue
If you look at these examples as possibilities for what can be applied in the Maritimes I think we have great potential - if only we can create the political will.
You mentioned that I must have a car. I do but i drive as little as possible. It is a VW Golf and part of me wishes I lived in one of the places in Germany I heard a German farmer speak of recently where the VW's have been retrofitted to run on electricity. I saw one plugged in to a turbine for a fill up. I read an article = Where the Fleet meets the Grid about electric cars being a potential storage solution for wind electricity at night. The problem with electric cars for NS is about 90% of our electricity comes from fossil fuels. That's why i want them to improve the grid and ram up the renewables because i confess, even though I'm taking the bus more our routes are still not sufficient or efficient, and i was hit on my bike so I am reluctant to use it until proper bike lanes are in place. But in the snow or after dark I'm likely to want to drive a car. More renewables are doable if we can only gather the political will. In addition I'd like to add Advanced Renewable Tariffs as a policy tool that would accelerate the incorporation of renewables. That was the key driver in Germany. For example, the utility had to pay a fair price for the electricity generated by a person's PV solar panels to any person who put them on their home. That way the people can recoup the cost of their investment in not too long (I think it is a few years). Now there is a city in Germany where everyone who has a south facing roof has to have them. No roof shall be wasted was the gist of what the mayor said. I could go on and on because I find the desire to be part of the solution so exciting. But it's not only the Germans and the Danes who have inspired me. Al Gore has just called for the US to generate 100% of it's electricity from carbon free sources within 10 years!
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