Here’s a thought: citywide solar panels as an infrastructure project
The average home has 2.5 residents, and it costs $25,000 to install enough solar panels for it. It takes 75 hours of labour to install enough solar panels, including electrical and non-electrical labour. So to go solar it would cost $10,000 per resident and require about 30 hours of labour per person. This estimate is […]
Clean tech should be PM’s next frontier
Re: “On climate change, can Trudeau go where Trump says no?” (The Hill Times, Feb. 22, p. 13). Canada cannot afford to follow the United States in any misguided decision to halt its climate change policies, and therefore its plans to transition to a clean-energy economy. I agree with Tom Rand. If the U.S. wants […]
Trudeau will have a close eye on B.C.’s spring election
VANCOUVER—With all hands on deck on Parliament Hill to keep Canada/United States relations on as even a keel as possible, the last thing Justin Trudeau needs is a political storm in British Columbia. With the province heading to the polls this spring, there are clouds on the horizon. Donald Trump’s presidential victory has already forced […]
Petro-transport industry not immediately affected by carbon taxes: experts
The transportation industry may be able to breathe a sigh of relief as experts don’t expect any of the various carbon taxes across the country to mean drastic shifts in the near future in how oil or other products are shipped across the country. While pipelines are considered a more economical option, rail also has […]
Time for government to lead on energy
Canadian oil needs to get to world markets. The federal government must make sure it can. The lamentable state of crude oil pipeline infrastructure makes parts of this country reliant on foreign oil and our petroleum exporters dependent on the United States, which buys Canadian product at a deep discount. Improving the transport of crude […]
On climate change, can Trudeau go where Trump says no?
TORONTO—Justin Trudeau’s priority in meeting Donald Trump was to find common ground with the unpredictable United States president. The prime minister wants to ensure Canada doesn’t feel the lash of Trump’s protectionist stance on trade. So, it’s not surprising that Trudeau seems to have avoided bringing up the awkward subject of climate change. Few issues […]
Liberal MP Murray quietly recruiting other Grit MPs to ensure $6.8-billion Kinder Morgan pipeline follows all conditions
A senior British Columbia Liberal MP, who did not want the government to approve the $6.8-billion Trans Mountain Kinder Morgan pipeline, is holding discussions with other Liberal MPs from the province to put in place a monitoring system to ensure that all 157 conditions required by the government in the construction of the pipeline are […]
Why the Ecofiscal Commission and Big Oil are both pushing a carbon tax
The carbon tax, once a non-starter with Canada’s oil industry, is now widely supported by its biggest players. The relatively recent about-face culminated in a 2015 industry show of solidarity with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley when she announced Alberta’s carbon tax. Although many received the news positively, some were left scratching their heads. Why did […]
In pipelines we trust?
In relationships, trust is king. Nowhere has this been more apparent in Canadian politics recently than with pipelines. The overtly pro-fossil fuel policies of the Harper government weakened and politicized the National Energy Board, the institution charged with conducting neutral public hearings on proposed pipelines. Predictably, Canadians’ trust in the board cratered. Prime Minister Justin […]
Grain shippers hopeful promised policy remedies will come to fruition in the spring
Advocates are expressing optimism that promised new legislation from the federal government this spring will bring needed improvements to rail service for grain shippers after a crippling backlog in 2014 stalled shipments across the Prairies. Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevators Association (WGEA), an advocacy group for grain companies, said he expects […]
