Thank you George Smitherman!

November 9, 2009

Thank you George Smitherman!

Thanks to former Energy Minister George Smitherman’s strong and visionary leadership, Ontario now has the potential to obtain 100% of its grid-supplied electricity from renewable sources by 2027. Mr. Smitherman changed the direction of Ontario’s electricity future with two key actions. 

First, he suspended the procurement process for two new nuclear reactors when Atomic Energy of Canada’s bid came in at 3.7 times the cost forecast in the Ontario Power Authority’s 20-year electricity plan.

Second, his Green Energy Act’s feed-in-tariff prices for Made-in-Ontario renewable electricity will stimulate the development of large supplies of green electricity in Ontario.

It is now up to Ontario’s new Minister of Energy to finish the job of replacing our aging and unreliable nuclear fleet by:

• giving our municipal electric utilities and Hydro One the funding they need to pursue all cost-effective energy conservation and efficiency opportunities;
• making arrangements for increased water power imports from Quebec;
• and converting our apartment buildings, shopping centres, hospitals and factories into small-scale but highly efficient combined heat and power plants.

Please call or email the new Minister of Energy, Gerry Phillips, Gerry.Phillips@ontario.ca or 416-327-6715, and ask him to ensure that Ontario will be able to obtain 100% of its grid-supplied electricity from renewable sources by 2027. (If you email him, bcc me – thanks…)

Please pass this message on to your friends.

Thank you.

Angela Bischoff, Outreach Director
Ontario Clean Air Alliance
402-625 Church St, Toronto M4Y 2G1
Phone: 416-926-1907 ext. 246
Fax: 416-926-1601
angela@cleanairalliance.org