From
the Ontario Chamber of Commerce:
Ministry of Energy Focuses on Conservation
The
government of Ontario and six of the province’s largest
electricity distribution companies are making energy
conservation the topic of a campaign to educate consumers.
Their powerWISE® campaign, announced last
week, will focus on promoting conservation to lower the demand
for electricity.
PowerWise®
was developed by the Hamilton Utilities Corporation in 2003 to
compliment their Corporate Social Responsibility program.
Now, the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Horizon Utilities
and five other large utilities are involved with the program.
Consumers can expect to receive regular messaging (TV and
newspaper ads) and education about conservation.
Conservation
of electrical power has the potential to be a significant cost
saving strategy when it comes to generating and using
electricity in Ontario. Conservation
initiatives help reduce the need for power generation, which
contributes to the health of the natural environment.
The
Ontario Chamber of Commerce is very pleased to see the
government is taking steps to boost the awareness about energy
conservation. The OCC has been in favour of this issue for some
time and hopes that the government adheres to the principles of
equality and fairness in all conservation initiatives.
The OCC continues to urge Ontario to implement the smart
meter initiative along with effective time-of-use rates in a
responsible and cost effective manner, and ensure that the cost
of these measures are not subsidized by the Ontario taxpayer.
The
OCC is concerned about the negative effects the energy crisis
could have on the province.
The cost and availability of electricity in Ontario have
become important concerns for businesses and citizens.
Businesses have realized how unstable our energy supply
is, and with its de-regulation, how costly it has become.
Ontario businesses need an electricity system that
provides a reliable supply of power at an affordable price to
maintain and enhance their competitiveness, create jobs and
contribute to the province’s economic strength.
We are urging the government to encourage greater private
sector participation in the generation of new electricity supply
from a variety of sources by creating an environment of
regulatory certainty, adopting long-term supply contracts from
multiple buyers and sellers resulting in electricity prices that
reflect the true cost of power.
Windsor
& District Chamber of Commerce Resolution on Conservation
of Power in Ontario (April
28, 2005)
Blue Box Diversion Program
On December 16th, the Chamber’s Environment Committee heard a
presentation from Todd Pepper, General Manager of the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste
Authority on the proposed Blue Box Waste Diversion Program.
The Board of Directors approved the Chamber’s resulting
position on January 27th, 2003. The following recommendations were
sent to the Recycling Council of Ontario and Stewardship Ontario in a letter of
support for the Blue Box Program.
Targets
Aluminum, cardboard, newsprint, various plastics were
identifies as possible maximum diversion items from landfill disposal.
Measuring Diversion
The Chamber thought that the Ministry of Environment should
enforce the waste diversion regulation that requires apartment building to
recycle. We also feel that
municipalities should pass by-laws requiring all households to recycle.
Public Education and Awareness
The Chamber offers a list of suggestions including
financial incentives, increased public awareness and recycling information
bulletins/campaigns.
The Chamber is concerned that there be no cross
subsidization of residential waste diversion programs by industry, except those
industries who are defined as brand owners and first importers of packaging and
printed paper materials collected in the residential blue box waste diversion
program.
