Huron Expositor, 2017-02-22, Page 44 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, February 22, 2017
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Grits hide, sell short costs of cap and trade
Now that we have the lat-
est census information
from Statistics Canada,
it's easy to see that Premier
Kathleen Wynne's estimate of
the cost of carbon pricing for
Ontarians doesn't add up.
In fact, it's low by 117.5 per
cent. 1 lere's why:
Wynne's Liberal government
expects to make $1.9 billion in
2017 from the cap and trade
market it imposed on Ontarians,
starting Jan. 1.
This means the government
estimates Ontarians will pay
$L9 billion more in higher retail
prices this year for most goods
and services, as most use fossil
fuel energy.
Under cap and trade, busi-
nesses pass along to consumers
their increased costs of buying
carbon credits from the govern-
ment and each other.
Since there are 5,598,391
Ontario households, according
to the 2016 census, this means
the average cost of cap and trade
per household this year will be
$339.38. ($1.9 billion divided by
5,598,391 households.)
But the Wynne government
says the average cost will be
S156 per household this year,
rising to $210 in 2019, plus
another S75 in indirect costs
starting that year.
"Ihe problem is the govern-
ment's estimate of $156 per
household is based on only
two items -- a predicted $5
monthly increase in the cost of
home heating fuel (natural
gas) and $8 for gasoline.
First, this ignores the fact cap
and trade raises the prices of
most goods and services.
Second, the Ontario Energy
Board has already said the initial
price increase for home heating
fuel alone, due to cap and trade,
will be between $5.68 and $6.70
monthly in 2017, up to 34 per
cent higher than the govern-
ment's claim.
Taxpayers will have to take the
OEB's word on that because the
cost won't be broken out as a sep-
arate item for consumers, it will
be hidden in the delivery charge.
That reflects the broader
problem with cap and trade,
which is that consumers have no
way of knowing its true costs,
since they will be buried in
higher retail prices.
But what we do know, now, is
that according to the Wynne
government's own estimates,
the average cost of cap and, trade
per Ontario household in X017 is
$339.38, 117.5 per cent higher
than the $156 the government
claims.
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tions and delivery.
letter to the editor
Farmers are instrumental
Farmers are a keystone spe-
cies in Canadian Society. Take
the farmer out of the ecosystem
and we see a dramatic decline in
our food security, our economy
shrinks and our rural communi-
ties dwindle. While farmers are
keystone species, there is also
danger of becoming an extinct
species as result of declining
farm profitability and
government intrusion. As fewer
young people choose agricul-
ture for a career, the inter -gener-
ational transfer of knowledge,
assets, and land on the family
farm has weakened.
While low profitability intru-
sion may be the biggest barriers
for entry, the deeper challenges
are cultural. Corporations now
heavily influence public
institutions that once supported
the next generations of farmers
through extension services and
education. Young people going
to universities are more likely to
become an agricultural profes-
sional than a farmer. Yet never
have we relied upon so few
farmers to feed the Canadian
population, nor faced a situation
where 75 per cent of them
intend to sell their land within a
decade. Unless we take action as
a society foreign and domestic
corporations controlled by gov-
ernment
overnment intrusions will buy the
land. Continuing down our pre-
sent path will continue the cycle
of dwindling profitability and
mounting debt.
-Ray Storey
Local broomball
earns bronze
Seaforth Junior Broomball had a
super exciting success at the Junior
Provincials this past weekend. The
PeeWee Cyclonesl came home with
a bronze medal. I've attached a super
picture of the kids in the dressing
room. The organizers of the tournament
came into visit with these kids after the
game. They wanted to make sure they
understood just how important thier win
was. Since 1986 the Central West area
has adopted a "no child left behind"
policy. AU teams are invited to play in
this tournament Other areas (such as
the gold medal winners from the east)
create tournament teams that require
try -outs. We are pretty excited for our
Central West teams. Mildmay (also in
Central West) came home with a silver
and Seaforth the bronze.
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