ECO report shines light on dark corners of Ontario conservation plans

For Immediate Release:
May 3, 2010

Queen’s Park – Opposition Environment Critic Toby Barrett is joining the Environment Commissioner’s call for more clarity when it comes to Ontario energy conservation.

Barrett welcomed a call for attention to transportation fuel use and underlined the need for information and public input following Commissioner Gord Miller’s new conference to release his report, “Rethinking Energy Conservation in Ontario: Annual Energy Conservation Progress Report”
“Mr. Miller has rightly pointed to a number of areas that this government has failed to address when it comes to energy conservation in this province,” Barrett commented. “Specifically, I join with the Commissioner in advocating public input in electricity conservation policy development.”

The report also highlighted the need for government to clarify the role of its demand-supply electricity plan (called the Integrated Power System Plan, or IPSP) that has been delayed and under revision for more than a year.

Meantime, the ECO is also urging the Ontario Energy Board to incorporate the principle of accounting for environmental effects of energy, including greenhouse gas emissions, into the regulation of natural gas and electricity conservation.

“If government is committed to conservation and green energy, it should be clearly indicating and calculating the carbon emission levels of all energy production – not just it favourite coal whipping boy,” concluded Barrett. “I also commend the Commissioner for recognizing the dependence on oil or propane for heating in rural and remote areas of the province while advocating opportunities to do more to help these energy consumers conserve fuel.”

– 30 –

For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at
(519) 428-0446 or (905)-765-8413, 1-800-903-8629