Toronto, Ont. – We are extremely disappointed by the federal government’s decision today to accept Ontario’s proposed carbon pricing system for industry. By pricing a smaller share of industrial carbon emissions, Ontario’s proposed system is clearly weaker than the federal system currently in place, and should not have been accepted.

Ontario’s system lets industrial polluters off the hook for more of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the federal government’s system and should have never been granted equivalency. According to Ontario’s Auditor General, Ontario’s industrial carbon price will reduce only one mega tonne of GHG emissions per year. Meanwhile, Ontario is currently facing a more than 20 mega tonne annual gap to meet its 2030 climate targets.

Source: Updated statement from Environmental Defence’s Clean Economy Program Manager, Sarah Buchanan, on the federal government’s acceptance of Ontario’s weak carbon pricing system for industry – Environmental Defence