Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, writing on behalf of the four Atlantic premiers, sent a letter to federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau on Thursday asking for the extension. He said he and his counterparts are concerned that increased energy costs through a carbon tax “will reinforce the inflationary pressures now being felt in Atlantic Canada, and we believe that any discussion of carbon pricing should prioritize mitigating those effects”. The Nova Scotia government says the federal carbon tax will add 14 cents to the price of a liter of natural gas in that province starting next year. Unlike most provinces, Nova Scotia has so far been shielded from the pump shock associated with carbon pricing due to the use of a provincial cap-and-trade program. This program is due to expire this year. “We are deeply concerned about the impact of carbon pricing on households in our region, especially as nearly 40 per cent of Atlantic Canadians experience energy poverty — by far the highest rate in the country,” Houston writes. Houston and Nova Scotia Environment Minister Tim Hallman could not be reached for comment Thursday. Hallman’s office issued a statement that reiterated points in the premiers’ letter to Ottawa.
Looking for “practical solutions”
Atlantic premiers ask for “short-term extension on provincial carbon pricing plan submissions,” writes Houston. This is so the premiers can meet with Guilbeault and his department officials to find “practical solutions to this issue, especially with regard to home heating fuel” and to discuss “options for the federal government to support the affordability of energy in the region” before the provinces formally submit their plans. Nova Scotia’s plan, submitted in late August, was rejected by Guilbeault earlier this week because it did not include a pricing mechanism for pollution. With the province’s cap-and-trade system expired and internal documents showing it is unlikely to be sustainable in the future, Nova Scotia instead submitted a proposal based on legislation passed last year. The proposal calls for closing coal-fired power plants by 2030, increasing the use of electric vehicles as well as other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Guilbeault told the province that Ottawa requires all provinces to have some kind of plan for pricing pollution. From 2023, the price of coal will increase annually by $15 per ton until it reaches $170 per ton in 2030. In the absence of a cap-and-trade program, Nova Scotia had the option of accepting the federal carbon tax or coming up with one of its own. The latter option would mean the province would have control over all revenue generated by the tax. Ultimately, the province chose neither of those options in its proposal.
Federal tax includes deduction checks
Guilbeault has acknowledged the affordability concerns Houston and his administration have raised since July, but has also pointed out that quarterly rebate checks paid by the feds mean many people are getting more money than they’re paying for. with the federal tax. If a province gets approval for its own tax plan, it would have to determine how that revenue will be used. Internal documents obtained by the CBC earlier this year show Nova Scotia Department of Environment officials favored using a carbon tax, which could generate $1 billion in revenue for the province, money that could be used to offset the impacts of the tax.
Approaching New Brunswick
New Brunswick adopted a carbon tax on consumers in 2020, but cut the provincial gas tax by four cents to offset the impact of the initial charge of 6.6 cents per litre. Ottawa has warned other provinces that — under new, stricter pricing standards starting in 2023 — they won’t be allowed to copy New Brunswick’s compensatory gas tax cut. But it didn’t force New Brunswick to eliminate the four-minute offset. As the carbon tax increased last year and this year, the government of New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has not cut gas taxes further. Instead, the government cut income taxes to mitigate higher costs at the pump — something the federal plan allows. This year, the income tax cut was $40 million, equivalent to the new revenue from the carbon tax jumping from 8.8 to 11 cents this year. The other question mark for New Brunswick is the rebate that offsets the carbon tax on natural gas for heating homes. Federal rules require the tax to be applied to natural gas sales, but the province uses that revenue to pay natural gas distributor Liberty Gas to provide customers with a discount directly on their bills, eliminating the added cost. Ottawa allowed this when it approved the original Higgs carbon tax model in 2020, but says the new stricter standard will not allow rebates that interfere with the “price signal” the carbon tax is supposed to send to consumers. It remains to be seen whether New Brunswick will be forced to remove the discount.
Meanwhile, in Newfoundland and Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the federal government accepted the province’s carbon pricing plan in October 2018. Price changes began on January 1, 2019. The province slashed its gasoline and diesel tax, replacing it with a carbon tax of 4.42 cents and 5.37 cents respectively, equivalent to $20 a tonne and rising by $10 a year, up to $50 this year. The plan also included exemptions for home heating fuels, which are not subject to carbon tax. Certain industries were also exempt from the tax — among them aquaculture, agriculture, fishing and offshore oil exploration. Instead, the government introduced a performance-based system for both offshore and onshore industries to set targets for reducing greenhouse gases.
The NS government takes to the airwaves
Meanwhile, even before Nova Scotia’s proposal to Ottawa was rejected, the Houston government recorded a radio ad touting its proposal and opposing a federal carbon tax. The ads, which cost $13,300, began airing on commercial radio stations Monday, the day Ottawa rejected the province’s proposal. Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender called the Houston government’s ads “a lot of smoke and mirrors to try to avoid our commitments as this deadline approaches.” “Not only are they fighting against this carbon tax, but they are refusing to come up with a meaningful alternative,” he said. “We know, and the minister knows and the prime minister knows, that what’s required by the federal system is a price on carbon. Nothing in anything that’s been submitted by our government here in Houston prices carbon. So they’re not doing their job.” Nova Scotia Liberal environment critic Iain Rankin said the Houston government’s last-minute efforts have an air of desperation. “It’s been a year and now they’re desperate to show they want to fight this federal government policy that’s been in place for more than five years,” he said. “It’s not new news that carbon pricing is the law of the land in Canada, and to ask for more time when they’re just doing a sort of Hail Mary, I think is disingenuous to say the least.”
title: “Atlantic Premiers Are Asking For More Time Before Submitting Carbon Pricing Plans To Ottawa Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-08” author: “Walter Thomas”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, writing on behalf of the four Atlantic premiers, sent a letter to federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau on Thursday asking for the extension. He said he and his counterparts are concerned that increased energy costs through a carbon tax “will reinforce the inflationary pressures now being felt in Atlantic Canada, and we believe that any discussion of carbon pricing should prioritize mitigating those effects”. The Nova Scotia government says the federal carbon tax will add 14 cents to the price of a liter of natural gas in that province starting next year. Unlike most provinces, Nova Scotia has so far been shielded from the pump shock associated with carbon pricing due to the use of a provincial cap-and-trade program. This program is due to expire this year. “We are deeply concerned about the impact of carbon pricing on households in our region, especially as nearly 40 per cent of Atlantic Canadians experience energy poverty — by far the highest rate in the country,” Houston writes. Houston and Nova Scotia Environment Minister Tim Hallman could not be reached for comment Thursday. Hallman’s office issued a statement that reiterated points in the premiers’ letter to Ottawa.
Looking for “practical solutions”
Atlantic premiers ask for “short-term extension on provincial carbon pricing plan submissions,” writes Houston. This is so the premiers can meet with Guilbeault and his department officials to find “practical solutions to this issue, especially with regard to home heating fuel” and to discuss “options for the federal government to support the affordability of energy in the region” before the provinces formally submit their plans. Nova Scotia’s plan, submitted in late August, was rejected by Guilbeault earlier this week because it did not include a pricing mechanism for pollution. With the province’s cap-and-trade system expired and internal documents showing it is unlikely to be sustainable in the future, Nova Scotia instead submitted a proposal based on legislation passed last year. The proposal calls for closing coal-fired power plants by 2030, increasing the use of electric vehicles as well as other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Guilbeault told the province that Ottawa requires all provinces to have some kind of plan for pricing pollution. From 2023, the price of coal will increase annually by $15 per ton until it reaches $170 per ton in 2030. In the absence of a cap-and-trade program, Nova Scotia had the option of accepting the federal carbon tax or coming up with one of its own. The latter option would mean the province would have control over all revenue generated by the tax. Ultimately, the province chose neither of those options in its proposal.
Federal tax includes deduction checks
Guilbeault has acknowledged the affordability concerns Houston and his administration have raised since July, but has also pointed out that quarterly rebate checks paid by the feds mean many people are getting more money than they’re paying for. with the federal tax. If a province gets approval for its own tax plan, it would have to determine how that revenue will be used. Internal documents obtained by the CBC earlier this year show Nova Scotia Department of Environment officials favored using a carbon tax, which could generate $1 billion in revenue for the province, money that could be used to offset the impacts of the tax.
Approaching New Brunswick
New Brunswick adopted a carbon tax on consumers in 2020, but cut the provincial gas tax by four cents to offset the impact of the initial charge of 6.6 cents per litre. Ottawa has warned other provinces that — under new, stricter pricing standards starting in 2023 — they won’t be allowed to copy New Brunswick’s compensatory gas tax cut. But it didn’t force New Brunswick to eliminate the four-minute offset. As the carbon tax increased last year and this year, the government of New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has not cut gas taxes further. Instead, the government cut income taxes to mitigate higher costs at the pump — something the federal plan allows. This year, the income tax cut was $40 million, equivalent to the new revenue from the carbon tax jumping from 8.8 to 11 cents this year. The other question mark for New Brunswick is the rebate that offsets the carbon tax on natural gas for heating homes. Federal rules require the tax to be applied to natural gas sales, but the province uses that revenue to pay natural gas distributor Liberty Gas to provide customers with a discount directly on their bills, eliminating the added cost. Ottawa allowed this when it approved the original Higgs carbon tax model in 2020, but says the new stricter standard will not allow rebates that interfere with the “price signal” the carbon tax is supposed to send to consumers. It remains to be seen whether New Brunswick will be forced to remove the discount.
Meanwhile, in Newfoundland and Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the federal government accepted the province’s carbon pricing plan in October 2018. Price changes began on January 1, 2019. The province slashed its gasoline and diesel tax, replacing it with a carbon tax of 4.42 cents and 5.37 cents respectively, equivalent to $20 a tonne and rising by $10 a year, up to $50 this year. The plan also included exemptions for home heating fuels, which are not subject to carbon tax. Certain industries were also exempt from the tax — among them aquaculture, agriculture, fishing and offshore oil exploration. Instead, the government introduced a performance-based system for both offshore and onshore industries to set targets for reducing greenhouse gases.
The NS government takes to the airwaves
Meanwhile, even before Nova Scotia’s proposal to Ottawa was rejected, the Houston government recorded a radio ad touting its proposal and opposing a federal carbon tax. The ads, which cost $13,300, began airing on commercial radio stations Monday, the day Ottawa rejected the province’s proposal. Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender called the Houston government’s ads “a lot of smoke and mirrors to try to avoid our commitments as this deadline approaches.” “Not only are they fighting against this carbon tax, but they are refusing to come up with a meaningful alternative,” he said. “We know, and the minister knows and the prime minister knows, that what’s required by the federal system is a price on carbon. Nothing in anything that’s been submitted by our government here in Houston prices carbon. So they’re not doing their job.” Nova Scotia Liberal environment critic Iain Rankin said the Houston government’s last-minute efforts have an air of desperation. “It’s been a year and now they’re desperate to show they want to fight this federal government policy that’s been in place for more than five years,” he said. “It’s not new news that carbon pricing is the law of the land in Canada, and to ask for more time when they’re just doing a sort of Hail Mary, I think is disingenuous to say the least.”
title: “Atlantic Premiers Are Asking For More Time Before Submitting Carbon Pricing Plans To Ottawa Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-25” author: “Johnny Robison”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, writing on behalf of the four Atlantic premiers, sent a letter to federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau on Thursday asking for the extension. He said he and his counterparts are concerned that increased energy costs through a carbon tax “will reinforce the inflationary pressures now being felt in Atlantic Canada, and we believe that any discussion of carbon pricing should prioritize mitigating those effects”. The Nova Scotia government says the federal carbon tax will add 14 cents to the price of a liter of natural gas in that province starting next year. Unlike most provinces, Nova Scotia has so far been shielded from the pump shock associated with carbon pricing due to the use of a provincial cap-and-trade program. This program is due to expire this year. “We are deeply concerned about the impact of carbon pricing on households in our region, especially as nearly 40 per cent of Atlantic Canadians experience energy poverty — by far the highest rate in the country,” Houston writes. Houston and Nova Scotia Environment Minister Tim Hallman could not be reached for comment Thursday. Hallman’s office issued a statement that reiterated points in the premiers’ letter to Ottawa.
Looking for “practical solutions”
Atlantic premiers ask for “short-term extension on provincial carbon pricing plan submissions,” writes Houston. This is so the premiers can meet with Guilbeault and his department officials to find “practical solutions to this issue, especially with regard to home heating fuel” and to discuss “options for the federal government to support the affordability of energy in the region” before the provinces formally submit their plans. Nova Scotia’s plan, submitted in late August, was rejected by Guilbeault earlier this week because it did not include a pricing mechanism for pollution. With the province’s cap-and-trade system expired and internal documents showing it is unlikely to be sustainable in the future, Nova Scotia instead submitted a proposal based on legislation passed last year. The proposal calls for closing coal-fired power plants by 2030, increasing the use of electric vehicles as well as other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Guilbeault told the province that Ottawa requires all provinces to have some kind of plan for pricing pollution. From 2023, the price of coal will increase annually by $15 per ton until it reaches $170 per ton in 2030. In the absence of a cap-and-trade program, Nova Scotia had the option of accepting the federal carbon tax or coming up with one of its own. The latter option would mean the province would have control over all revenue generated by the tax. Ultimately, the province chose neither of those options in its proposal.
Federal tax includes deduction checks
Guilbeault has acknowledged the affordability concerns Houston and his administration have raised since July, but has also pointed out that quarterly rebate checks paid by the feds mean many people are getting more money than they’re paying for. with the federal tax. If a province gets approval for its own tax plan, it would have to determine how that revenue will be used. Internal documents obtained by the CBC earlier this year show Nova Scotia Department of Environment officials favored using a carbon tax, which could generate $1 billion in revenue for the province, money that could be used to offset the impacts of the tax.
Approaching New Brunswick
New Brunswick adopted a carbon tax on consumers in 2020, but cut the provincial gas tax by four cents to offset the impact of the initial charge of 6.6 cents per litre. Ottawa has warned other provinces that — under new, stricter pricing standards starting in 2023 — they won’t be allowed to copy New Brunswick’s compensatory gas tax cut. But it didn’t force New Brunswick to eliminate the four-minute offset. As the carbon tax increased last year and this year, the government of New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has not cut gas taxes further. Instead, the government cut income taxes to mitigate higher costs at the pump — something the federal plan allows. This year, the income tax cut was $40 million, equivalent to the new revenue from the carbon tax jumping from 8.8 to 11 cents this year. The other question mark for New Brunswick is the rebate that offsets the carbon tax on natural gas for heating homes. Federal rules require the tax to be applied to natural gas sales, but the province uses that revenue to pay natural gas distributor Liberty Gas to provide customers with a discount directly on their bills, eliminating the added cost. Ottawa allowed this when it approved the original Higgs carbon tax model in 2020, but says the new stricter standard will not allow rebates that interfere with the “price signal” the carbon tax is supposed to send to consumers. It remains to be seen whether New Brunswick will be forced to remove the discount.
Meanwhile, in Newfoundland and Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the federal government accepted the province’s carbon pricing plan in October 2018. Price changes began on January 1, 2019. The province slashed its gasoline and diesel tax, replacing it with a carbon tax of 4.42 cents and 5.37 cents respectively, equivalent to $20 a tonne and rising by $10 a year, up to $50 this year. The plan also included exemptions for home heating fuels, which are not subject to carbon tax. Certain industries were also exempt from the tax — among them aquaculture, agriculture, fishing and offshore oil exploration. Instead, the government introduced a performance-based system for both offshore and onshore industries to set targets for reducing greenhouse gases.
The NS government takes to the airwaves
Meanwhile, even before Nova Scotia’s proposal to Ottawa was rejected, the Houston government recorded a radio ad touting its proposal and opposing a federal carbon tax. The ads, which cost $13,300, began airing on commercial radio stations Monday, the day Ottawa rejected the province’s proposal. Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender called the Houston government’s ads “a lot of smoke and mirrors to try to avoid our commitments as this deadline approaches.” “Not only are they fighting against this carbon tax, but they are refusing to come up with a meaningful alternative,” he said. “We know, and the minister knows and the prime minister knows, that what’s required by the federal system is a price on carbon. Nothing in anything that’s been submitted by our government here in Houston prices carbon. So they’re not doing their job.” Nova Scotia Liberal environment critic Iain Rankin said the Houston government’s last-minute efforts have an air of desperation. “It’s been a year and now they’re desperate to show they want to fight this federal government policy that’s been in place for more than five years,” he said. “It’s not new news that carbon pricing is the law of the land in Canada, and to ask for more time when they’re just doing a sort of Hail Mary, I think is disingenuous to say the least.”
title: “Atlantic Premiers Are Asking For More Time Before Submitting Carbon Pricing Plans To Ottawa Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-28” author: “Valentina Gravely”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, writing on behalf of the four Atlantic premiers, sent a letter to federal Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau on Thursday asking for the extension. He said he and his counterparts are concerned that increased energy costs through a carbon tax “will reinforce the inflationary pressures now being felt in Atlantic Canada, and we believe that any discussion of carbon pricing should prioritize mitigating those effects”. The Nova Scotia government says the federal carbon tax will add 14 cents to the price of a liter of natural gas in that province starting next year. Unlike most provinces, Nova Scotia has so far been shielded from the pump shock associated with carbon pricing due to the use of a provincial cap-and-trade program. This program is due to expire this year. “We are deeply concerned about the impact of carbon pricing on households in our region, especially as nearly 40 per cent of Atlantic Canadians experience energy poverty — by far the highest rate in the country,” Houston writes. Houston and Nova Scotia Environment Minister Tim Hallman could not be reached for comment Thursday. Hallman’s office issued a statement that reiterated points in the premiers’ letter to Ottawa.
Looking for “practical solutions”
Atlantic premiers ask for “short-term extension on provincial carbon pricing plan submissions,” writes Houston. This is so the premiers can meet with Guilbeault and his department officials to find “practical solutions to this issue, especially with regard to home heating fuel” and to discuss “options for the federal government to support the affordability of energy in the region” before the provinces formally submit their plans. Nova Scotia’s plan, submitted in late August, was rejected by Guilbeault earlier this week because it did not include a pricing mechanism for pollution. With the province’s cap-and-trade system expired and internal documents showing it is unlikely to be sustainable in the future, Nova Scotia instead submitted a proposal based on legislation passed last year. The proposal calls for closing coal-fired power plants by 2030, increasing the use of electric vehicles as well as other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Guilbeault told the province that Ottawa requires all provinces to have some kind of plan for pricing pollution. From 2023, the price of coal will increase annually by $15 per ton until it reaches $170 per ton in 2030. In the absence of a cap-and-trade program, Nova Scotia had the option of accepting the federal carbon tax or coming up with one of its own. The latter option would mean the province would have control over all revenue generated by the tax. Ultimately, the province chose neither of those options in its proposal.
Federal tax includes deduction checks
Guilbeault has acknowledged the affordability concerns Houston and his administration have raised since July, but has also pointed out that quarterly rebate checks paid by the feds mean many people are getting more money than they’re paying for. with the federal tax. If a province gets approval for its own tax plan, it would have to determine how that revenue will be used. Internal documents obtained by the CBC earlier this year show Nova Scotia Department of Environment officials favored using a carbon tax, which could generate $1 billion in revenue for the province, money that could be used to offset the impacts of the tax.
Approaching New Brunswick
New Brunswick adopted a carbon tax on consumers in 2020, but cut the provincial gas tax by four cents to offset the impact of the initial charge of 6.6 cents per litre. Ottawa has warned other provinces that — under new, stricter pricing standards starting in 2023 — they won’t be allowed to copy New Brunswick’s compensatory gas tax cut. But it didn’t force New Brunswick to eliminate the four-minute offset. As the carbon tax increased last year and this year, the government of New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has not cut gas taxes further. Instead, the government cut income taxes to mitigate higher costs at the pump — something the federal plan allows. This year, the income tax cut was $40 million, equivalent to the new revenue from the carbon tax jumping from 8.8 to 11 cents this year. The other question mark for New Brunswick is the rebate that offsets the carbon tax on natural gas for heating homes. Federal rules require the tax to be applied to natural gas sales, but the province uses that revenue to pay natural gas distributor Liberty Gas to provide customers with a discount directly on their bills, eliminating the added cost. Ottawa allowed this when it approved the original Higgs carbon tax model in 2020, but says the new stricter standard will not allow rebates that interfere with the “price signal” the carbon tax is supposed to send to consumers. It remains to be seen whether New Brunswick will be forced to remove the discount.
Meanwhile, in Newfoundland and Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the federal government accepted the province’s carbon pricing plan in October 2018. Price changes began on January 1, 2019. The province slashed its gasoline and diesel tax, replacing it with a carbon tax of 4.42 cents and 5.37 cents respectively, equivalent to $20 a tonne and rising by $10 a year, up to $50 this year. The plan also included exemptions for home heating fuels, which are not subject to carbon tax. Certain industries were also exempt from the tax — among them aquaculture, agriculture, fishing and offshore oil exploration. Instead, the government introduced a performance-based system for both offshore and onshore industries to set targets for reducing greenhouse gases.
The NS government takes to the airwaves
Meanwhile, even before Nova Scotia’s proposal to Ottawa was rejected, the Houston government recorded a radio ad touting its proposal and opposing a federal carbon tax. The ads, which cost $13,300, began airing on commercial radio stations Monday, the day Ottawa rejected the province’s proposal. Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender called the Houston government’s ads “a lot of smoke and mirrors to try to avoid our commitments as this deadline approaches.” “Not only are they fighting against this carbon tax, but they are refusing to come up with a meaningful alternative,” he said. “We know, and the minister knows and the prime minister knows, that what’s required by the federal system is a price on carbon. Nothing in anything that’s been submitted by our government here in Houston prices carbon. So they’re not doing their job.” Nova Scotia Liberal environment critic Iain Rankin said the Houston government’s last-minute efforts have an air of desperation. “It’s been a year and now they’re desperate to show they want to fight this federal government policy that’s been in place for more than five years,” he said. “It’s not new news that carbon pricing is the law of the land in Canada, and to ask for more time when they’re just doing a sort of Hail Mary, I think is disingenuous to say the least.”
