Jim Bolger, one of the owners of Waterloo Energy Productsin Maryhill Ontario and the current president of the Ontario Geothermal Association (OGA) decided to write to Premier Doug Ford asking him to reverse the Progressive Conservative government’s decision to terminate the Green Ontario Fund, or GreenON. View the letter is here.
On June 19, Ford and his government announced that they are cancelling the Greenon Rebate Program that was apart of Kathleen Wynne’s cap and trade carbon tax and slush fund. The reason for the cancellation is because the PCs didn’t adequately evaluate the economic benefits of the program including job creation, increased economic activity, and saving residents money on their monthly utility bills. The GreenON website was updated to inform everyone that the program was closed. The website stated that the rebates signed on or before June 19 for work completed by Oct. 31 would still be honoured if the rebate applications were submitted by Nov. 30.
Jim Bolger wants to fight to save the program and says that there is a solid business case to be made. He would like an opportunity to sit down and discuss those benefits with the new Doug Ford government. The Economic Impact Report was just released from the Clean Energy Canada and Efficiency Canada that offered insights into how households can save upwards of $114 per year through energy efficiency upgrades, and that 118,000 annual jobs would be created between now and 2030 in Canada due to economic activity associated with energy efficiency.
Unfortunately, over 1,500 contractors in Ontario who signed up for the program are left uncertain after spending their own time and money investing in new training, upgrading machinery and hiring more employees to help with the increased workflow. Many of these contractors that participated in the program will not see a return on their investment and have may have to lay off workers as market demand softens due to the removal of incentives.
Join Waterloo Energy Products, OGA and others try to get the rebate program back. Please show your support by signing a petition for Doug Ford to bring back the Green Ontario Fund. Click the link below to sign the petition. Thanks in advance.
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