The August 30st decision of the Federal Court of Appeal’s against the federal government’s approval of the Alberta to British Columbia Trans Mountain pipeline expansion seems to have come as a shock to the federal and Alberta governments. It was …
Letter to the Editor – Globe and Mail July 16, 2018
Re Political Rhetoric Clouds How Carbon Pricing Could Work (Report on Business, July 11) Konrad Yakabuski’s conclusion that carbon pricing alone is unlikely to be sufficient to prompt a viable low-carbon transition in the economy comes as no surprise to …
Ford’s hydro moves will do nothing to reduce rates.
Last week was marked by a string of high profile moves on the province’s electricity system by the new Ford government. These included the ouster of Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt and the subsequent resignation of the remainder of the …
The Ford Doctrine: (very) short-term gain for long-term pain
Ontario premier-designate Doug Ford has yet to actually take office, but last week saw a series of major announcements indicating some intended directions for his incoming government. The first was a declaration of the intent to end Ontario’s participation in …
Ontario Election 2018: The Implications for Ontario’s Environment, Economy and Politics
June 2018 Last week’s election in Ontario produced a new Progressive Conservative (PC) government, led by former Toronto city Councillor Doug Ford. The PCs received just over 40 percent of the popular vote, winning 76 of 124 seats in the …
Ontario Election 2018: Positions on the environment, energy and climate change define divisions among Ontario’s political parties.
With the Ontario election now a week away, all four major parties (the Progressive Conservatives belatedly) have now tabled their platforms. While the campaign has focused heavily on the personalities of the party leaders, a review of the platforms makes …
Ontario Election 2018: The Liberals have made a mess of the electricity file, but Doug Ford would double down on their mistakes
May 2018 Mark Winfield, York University With last week’s announcement by Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford of his plan to reduce hydro rates, electricity costs have emerged as a central question in the upcoming Ontario election. However, Mr.Ford’s less …
The Kinder-Morgan Pipeline “crisis:” Not panicking would be a good place to start
April 2018 Over the past few days, the concerns over the fate of the pipeline in the face of the BC government’s objections have been elevated to the level of a constitutional and political crisis, driven by an artificial deadline …
Which way forward on Carbon Pricing in Ontario?
Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown’s proposal to replace the Kathleen Wynne’s cap and trade system for reducing the province’s greenhouse gas emissions with a carbon tax has set off a series of debates about the merits of these different approaches …
Site C, Muskrat Falls and the pitfalls of short-circuited project reviews.
Mark Winfield York University November 2017 The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has just announced a public inquiry into how the economically disastrous Muskrat Falls hydro-electric project was approved. In reality there is little mystery. The project was strongly …