news
Newsstand: July 13, 2015
News this Monday morning: Ontario has a lot of work to do if it wants to meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, the Financial Accountability Officer is meeting resistance trying to do his job, and a group of Brazilian cyclists ended up on the DVP.
A new report from Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Ellen Schwartzel says the province is far from meeting its 2020 greenhouse gas reduction goals. While the closure of coal-fired power plants allowed Ontario to meet its 2014 targets, Schwartzel’s report found that the Liberal government will have to do some serious work to meet the next set of goals rather than continuing to rely on that past move. Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray said the Liberal government still intends to meet its targets and is implementing a cap-and-trade system for just this reason, but Schwartzel’s report found that a cap-and-trade system focused on industry, which seemed to her the most likely use of such a system, will still fall short of the intended emission reduction. Schwartzel recommends changes to the province’s transportation system: electrifying trains and making it easier for electric-car drivers to charge their vehicles could go a long way to reaching the province’s goals, as well as retrofitting current buildings for energy efficiency.
Stephen LeClair, Ontario budget watchdog, is apparently being held at arm’s length in his attempted investigation of the proposed sale of Hydro One. LeClair, whose job has only existed since the 2013 budget was passed (this is his first investigation on the job), has been told the Liberal government will be invoking Section 12(2) of the Financial Accountability Officer Act for much of the information he seeks. That section curtails LeClair’s power when information would include cabinet discussions.
Nine members of Brazil’s cycling team, in town for the Pan Am Games, were escorted off the Don Valley Parkway this morning after deciding to take a practice run that brought them onto the highway. Toronto police received a call about the group of cyclists, as cycling on highways in Toronto is typically illegal and comes with a $110 fine. The Brazilian team will not face any fines or charges, and no one was hurt.