Alberta to introduce carbon tax

“Our children and our grandchildren need a fair economy and a liveable planet”.

Under Notley’s plan, Alberta will phase out coal-fired electricity and rely on renewable energy reserves to meet 30 percent of the provincial demand by 2030.

Karen Mahon, director of ForestEthics Canada, said in a statement that by establishing a price and a regulatory limit on carbon pollution, along with transitioning from coal to renewable electricity, Alberta’s plan moves the province “from climate laggard to climate leader”.

During the recent federal election campaign, Mr. Trudeau promised to allow Canada’s provinces to continue to write their own climate rules. It’s the first such meeting between the prime minister and the leaders of the provinces since 2009, although it’s unclear what sort of tangible plan will emerge from it before they head, as a group, to Paris. But four of the biggest oil sands producers, including Suncor Energy Ltd., Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Cenovus Energy Inc. and the Canadian unit of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, on Sunday said they backed the new initiative, noting it would accelerate clean- energy technology investment.

The oil industry is in the second year of a crude-price collapse that has led to billions of dollars in spending cuts and at least 37,000 job losses. A few of the new revenue will be spent on technology to fight climate change and the NDP has committed to helping the lower-earning 60 per cent of households cope with a few of the increased transportation and heating costs through an “adjustment fund”. The total cost of the increases will be about $500 a year for an average family, the government calculates.

As one aspect of the multi-faceted package, Alberta will go from being the only province in the country – and one of the only jurisdictions on the continent – without an energy efficiency program to being a leader on this file.

The carbon tax will help pay for the transition.

“It’s 2015, the measure of climate leadership is no longer setting a target for how much carbon you’ll put in the air but legislating based on science and keeping fossil fuels in the ground”, he continued.

She acknowledged the presence of industry and environmental representatives who were also at the announcement with her. Emissions from the oil sands industry, considered by a few to be one of the more potent polluters, will be capped at 100 megatons. That gap will be largely filled by projects now being built.

That means if oilsands producers want to pump more oil, they’ll have to do it in a way that stays under the cap.

Ontario is on track with planned emissions reduction targets by 2030.

Unlike a few GHG emission reduction plans that give methane a pass, Alberta’s new climate framework does not leave methane on the sidelines.

In fact, Fenton says the emissions cap “is the kind climate policy that we needed a decade ago”.

“We’re really lifting the curtain on Canada’s success to show the world and we can only do that if we have a strong voice on the worldwide stage”.

“There is no ideal policy, but I think this is probably the most balanced, most well thought-out policy that I’ve seen…”