From cco at web.ca Wed Mar 3 05:15:06 2004 From: cco at web.ca (Conservation Council of Ontario) Date: Thu Nov 25 17:30:12 2004 Subject: [greenon-l] Green On News March 3, 2004 Message-ID: <001a01c40106$fe4b5d40$dcbdfea9@x5o7b2> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 20805 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/greenon-l/attachments/20040303/86cdd8e3/attachment.jpe From cco at web.ca Thu Apr 15 16:58:33 2004 From: cco at web.ca (Conservation Council of Ontario) Date: Thu Nov 25 17:30:12 2004 Subject: [greenon-l] Ontario's first step to a Conserver Society Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20040415161056.00bbaa20@pop.web.ca> Green On. The Online Newsletter of the Conservation Council of Ontario see www.greenontario.org for the online version and to subscribe or unsubscribe Ontario takes the first step towards a Conserver Society Energy Ministry Establishes a Conservation Secretariat for Electricity A special edition of the Conservation Council of Ontario's e-newsletter April 15, 2004 The provincial government has outlined a strong conservation vision for Ontario's electricity sector, including: * the creation of a provincial Conservation Secretariat * clear provincial targets for conservation that will go beyond the interim target of 5% by 2007 * province-wide programs in support of electricity conservation * incentives for local distribution companies (utilities) to promote conservation Energy Minster Dwight Duncan today announced the framework for how the government is going to address Ontario's electricity crisis -- and conservation is a key part of the solution. Premier McGuinty is expected to provide more details on the Province's commitment to conservation next week, including the role of Ontario's volunteers, community groups and non-governmental organizations in promoting a culture of conservation. Details of the Minister's announcement can be found at http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=english.news&news_id=59&bod y=yes. There are six parts to the government's vision: 1. A combination of a fully regulated and a competitive electricity sector The government will use a combination of fully regulated prices for nuclear and baseload hydroelectric power and a competitive market for additional power. The combination of pricing mechanisms would result in a blended cost for all consumers. 2. Price stability for consumers who want it, and flexibility for consumers who need it. The government will offer price stability for those who want it through a regulated rate plan where prices will be averaged out over time but would remain stable each year. Consumers will also be allowed to purchase their electricity from energy retailers. 3. Opportunities for Investors The government will ensure that the private sector can earn a fair return on investments in the electricity sector. 4. The creation of a new independent body called the Ontario Power Authority The Authority will forecast needs and prepare an integrated system plan for conservation, generation and transmission. 5. The creation of a new Conservation Secretariat to be housed in the Ontario Power Authority. The Secretariat will develop province-wide programs to help Ontario's homes and businesses to conserve and save money. The Conservation Secretariat will also monitor the progress Ontario is making in reducing overall demand. The Secretariat's work will complement additional conservation programs developed and managed through the local distribution companies under a new pricing structure that would compensate and reward the LDCs for demand reductions. 6. The Ministry of Energy will continue to set targets for conservation, the use of renewable energy, and the overall supply mix of electricity in the province. The government has already stated its medium-term goals: 5 per cent of Ontario's capacity should come from new renewable sources by 2007, 10 per cent by 2010; and electricity demand should be reduced by 5 per cent by 2007 through conservation. The Ontario Power Authority would be charged with achieving the targets set by the government, and would include them in its system planning. *************************** Promoting conservation leadership, cooperation, and action for over 50 years The Conservation Council of Ontario 43 Sorauren Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6R 2C8 (416) 533-1635 www.greenontario.org Chris Winter, Executive Director -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/greenon-l/attachments/20040415/bcab6bfe/attachment.html From cco at web.ca Thu Apr 22 09:36:06 2004 From: cco at web.ca (Conservation Council of Ontario) Date: Thu Nov 25 17:30:12 2004 Subject: [greenon-l] Status Report on a Conservation Action Plan Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20040422074723.00afea60@pop.web.ca> If the formatted newsletter is missing from this e-mail, please go to www.greenontario.org/news/ for the online version. Green On. The Online Newsletter of the Conservation Council of Ontario see www.greenontario.org for the online version and to subscribe or unsubscribe Status Report: A Conservation Action Plan April 22, 2004 Chris Winter, Editor In This Issue Ontario Today Phone In Show Premier's Announcement on Conservation A Status Report -- looking back on the CCO's Four Point Action Plan for Energy Conservation Ontario Today Phone In Show -- Thursday April 22nd I don't normally advertise media spots, but I will be the guest on today's phone-in segment for CBC Radio's Ontario Today. Tune in at 1pm, or call in with your suggestions for electricity conservation. Premier's Announcement on Conservation see http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/english/news/Energy041904.asp On Monday April 19, Premier Dalton McGuinty made a special announcement on conservation. He confirmed the province's target of a 5% reduction in electricity consumption by 2007 and highlighted elements of the government's plan: * Creating an Ontario Power Authority that will include a Conservation Secretariat led by a Chief Conservation Officer * Launching a public education and outreach campaign, including town hall meetings, to encourage conservation * Setting aggressive targets to put smart meters into every home by 2010, with an interim target of 800,000 meters in place by 2007 -- together with more flexible pricing, this would allow Ontarians to save money if they run appliances in off-peak hours * Developing regulations to provide provincewide access to net metering, which enables homeowners and businesses generating renewable electricity to receive credit for the excess energy they produce * Allowing local distribution companies to begin investing approximately $225 million for local, community-based conservation programs * Creating incentives for local distribution companies and Hydro One to reduce expensive, wasteful "system loss" that can occur when transmitting electricity to consumers. A Status Report -- looking back on the CCO's Four Point Action Plan for Energy Conservation see http://www.greenontario.org/solutions/energyplan.html You may recall that, following the August 2003 blackout, the Conservation Council proposed a four point energy conservation action plan: 1. Price energy to promote conservation 2. Create an Ontario Green Energy and Conservation Fund 3. Support community-based conservation outreach and education campaigns. 4. Strengthen standards for green energy and conservation. Here's a quick overview of where things stand with the recent announcements 1. Price energy to promote conservation The price of electricity rose on April 1st from 4.3 cents/kWh to 4.7 cents/kWh for the first 750 kWh/month and 5.5 cents/kWh for consumption over 750 kWh/month. The new price is still below the full average cost of production, but it does include a 0.8 cent.kWh disincentive against overconsumption of electricity. Future prospects: A new pricing structure will be introduced by the Ontario Energy Board by the spring of 2005 to take into account further changes in the electricity system. Energy Minister Dwight Duncan has suggested that prices will need to rise in order to pay for new electricity generation projects. The introduction of smart meters will lead to differential pricing for peak and low consumption times. 2. Create an Ontario Green Energy and Conservation Fund The Province has promised to establish a provincial Conservation Secretariat with a mandate to develop provincial conservation. In addition, the Province will allow local distribution companies (LDCs) to engage in conservation programs and recover costs and profit through additional charges on the electricity bill. No announcements have been made to date about any form of subsidy for conservation or renewable power. Our view was that the surcharge on electricity for overconsumption should be applied directly to subsidies and support programs for conservation and renewable energy. The current surcharge for overconsumption (see above) is being used to subsidize the overall cost of electricity and not to support conservation. In addition, the proposal to put 800,000 smart meters in homes by 2007 will cost between $100 and $400 per home (or $80 million to $320 million). This cost will be passed on to the homeowner, with no immediate benefit in reduced consumption. A similar $100 investment per home would give each homeowner 10 compact fluorescent bulbs and an immediate reduction of up to 70 kWh per month (or 10% of the average residential consumption rate). Future prospects: Public response to conservation pleas will be low until there is an economic incentive. Look for incentives in the May 18 budget, however the provincial support programs may be some time in coming, with the first step being to set up the new Ontario Power Authority and Conservation Secretariat. The best bet will be to look to your local utility. Compact fluorescents are the no-brainer first step in conservation -- and it will probably be the LDCs who first introduce capitalize on their savings. 3. Support community-based conservation outreach and education campaigns. The Province will launch a public education and outreach program and host a series of Town Hall meetings on conservation to promote conservation. There is an understanding that the voluntary sector has a strong role to play in promoting the "culture of conservation", but exactly what that role is has not been elaborated. Future prospects: Without a clear plan for community engagement, the education and outreach strategy will resort to the standard advertising campaign and mailer to every household approach. On the other hand, if Ontario's conservation organizations and community leaders can come up with cost effective proposals for community-oriented outreach and engagement, there is a strong potential to develop a truly effective conservation movement in Ontario. 4. Strengthen standards for green energy and conservation. http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=english.news&body=yes&news_ id=56 The Ministry has recognized that improved performance standards are an essential part of a conservation plan. They have already announced new standards under the Energy Efficiency Act for thermostats used with individual-room electric space-heaters, industrial and commercial gas-fired package furnaces with inputs above 400,000 BTU per hour, and stronger standards for seven other products already covered under the Act. *************************** Promoting conservation leadership, cooperation, and action for over 50 years The Conservation Council of Ontario 43 Sorauren Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6R 2C8 (416) 533-1635 www.greenontario.org Chris Winter, Executive Director -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/greenon-l/attachments/20040422/5508ea47/attachment.html From cco at web.ca Wed May 19 16:48:03 2004 From: cco at web.ca (Conservation Council of Ontario) Date: Thu Nov 25 17:30:12 2004 Subject: [greenon-l] Green Pieces in the Budget Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20040519162740.01625310@pop.web.ca> If the rest of this message is blank, please go to www.greenontario.org for the newsletter... Green On. The Online Newsletter of the Conservation Council of Ontario see www.greenontario.org for the online version and to subscribe or unsubscribe Budget 2004: Conservation Accounting Makes Inroads Chris Winter, Executive Director May 19, 2004 There was no single big green announcement in yesterday?s Ontario budget, but there were a whole bunch of little things that add up to nearly a billion dollars in green investments. There are also a number of interesting trends in fiscal management and strategic planning that will have a significant potential for conservation and the environment. --- Infrastructure Commitments --- This is the green infrastructure budget with water and transit getting significant new commitments. Ontario?s crumbling infrastructure is a major concern and the government has committed a total of $3.3 billion to infrastructure investments. Of this, $346 million goes to water and $448 million goes to transit. $992 million still goes to fixing and expanding highways, which is twice the commitment to transit, however the funding trend is clearly moving away from highways. --- Electricity --- The budget was silent on the other major infrastructure question electricity. There?s not much in the way of financial commitments to report in the electricity sector just tax breaks on clean home energy sources and energy efficient appliances that will cost about $11 million. No commitment was made with respect to the funding required to replace Ontario?s electrical infrastructure. Here?s why: the consumer is going to pay, not the taxpayer. --- Conservation Accounting --- Page 31 of the budget papers outlines the fiscal implications of the government?s electricity sector reforms. Here you?ll see the first signs of ?conservation accounting? paying full cost for resources and creating direct links between consumption taxes and the conservation alternative. The budget reiterated the commitment to move to a ?consumer-pays? system for electricity and away from the traditional ?taxpayer-pays? approach. The new approach will provide a tremendous incentive for conservation. The other example of conservation accounting in the budget is the commitment to link two cents of the gas tax to transit funding. This is perhaps the best example of using a pollution/consumption tax to directly subsidize a low-pollution/conservation alternative. ?Conservation and sustainability of resources? was one of four key strategies outlined in the Town Hall consultation process. Clearly, the government is moving ahead with pricing as an alternative revenue generating option, a cost-recovery mechanism for infrastructure investments, and as a key tool to promote conservation and the efficient use of scarce resources. With the one caveat of needing to protect low-income groups from price spikes, this is an excellent initiative that will help promote a conserver society, an efficient and competitive economy, and sound fiscal management. --- Gas Tax --- The Province has made good on the commitment to transfer two cents of the gas tax to municipalities to help pay for public transit. One cent will dedicated beginning October 2004. This will increase to 1.5 cents in October 2005 and 2 cents in October 2006. --- Natural Areas --- Natural areas protection got a small boost with the extension of the tax exemption for conservation lands to cover lands of natural and environmental significance owned by conservation authorities and land trusts (an estimated $1million program). --- Funding up for Green Ministries up $50 million --- ? Ministry of Environment $260 million to $304 million (+44) ? Ministry of Energy $118 million to $137 million (+19) ? Ministry of Natural Resources dropped from $518 million to $505 million (-13), but still remains higher than the 2000 to 2003 levels. --- Four-Year Plans --- The other interesting development is that the government is replacing ?ministry business plans? with a four-year plan based on clear provincial objectives and with six-month progress reports. The emphasis will be on planning for results. Unlike the former business plan process (where consultation came six months after the plans were finalized), the government intends to hold consultations throughout the entire process from setting priorities to reviewing the results. One thing that is not clear is how the Statements of Environmental Values (SEVs) under the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) will fit into the new approach. The EBR requires that ministries consider their SEVs in all new initiatives. (Readers will no doubt recall the detailed ?Missing Values? reviews of ministry business plans conducted by the CCO www.greenontario.org/cco/publications.html.) The government needs to update the thirteen ministry SEVs ASAP if they are going to have relevance within the new planning regime. --- Red Tape --- The Red Tape Commission will be converted into a small business agency. Not much more needs to be said about this one. --- Horse Sense? --- Finally, every budget usually has something that?s just downright wacky. The dance around lotteries and gaming revenue is always interesting trying to justify how gambling is a social good. Of the total gaming revenue of $2,117 million, hospitals get 1,474 million (70%), $512 million (24%) goes into ?general government priorities?, problem gambling gets 36 million (1.7%) and the Ontario Trillium Foundation gets $95 million (45%). Trillium is the largest single source of funding for voluntary sector environmental projects in Ontario, with a budget of $10 million for the environment sector. At the same time, $299 million (20% of the gross revenue from slot machines at racetracks) goes to support Ontario?s horse racing industry. Compare this with, say, the budget commitment of $13.4 million for affordable housing. In Ontario, horses are getting better far better treatment than the homeless. *************************** Promoting conservation leadership, cooperation, and action for over 50 years The Conservation Council of Ontario 43 Sorauren Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6R 2C8 (416) 533-1635 www.greenontario.org Chris Winter, Executive Director -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/greenon-l/attachments/20040519/60f29df9/attachment.html From cco at web.ca Wed Oct 27 18:05:04 2004 From: cco at web.ca (CCO) Date: Thu Nov 25 17:30:12 2004 Subject: [greenon-l] Ontario's Conservation Summit Message-ID: <41801B5A.9060704@web.ca> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/greenon-l/attachments/20041027/efb6547f/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: summit.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 14977 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/greenon-l/attachments/20041027/efb6547f/summit.jpg From cco at web.ca Tue Nov 16 16:54:03 2004 From: cco at web.ca (Conservation Council of Ontario) Date: Thu Nov 25 17:30:12 2004 Subject: [greenon-l] Conservation Summit Update Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20041116164218.01a45d50@pop.web.ca> Skipped content of type multipart/related-------------- next part -------------- *************************** Promoting conservation leadership, cooperation, and action for over 50 years The Conservation Council of Ontario Suite 132, 215 Spadina Ave, Toronto, M5T 2C7 Ph: (416) 533-1635 Fx: (416) 979-3936 www.greenontario.org Chris Winter, Executive Director From cco at web.ca Tue Nov 16 18:05:12 2004 From: cco at web.ca (Conservation Council of Ontario) Date: Thu Nov 25 17:30:12 2004 Subject: [greenon-l] Conservation Summit Update -- 2nd try Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20041116165358.070fe170@pop.web.ca> (My apologies -- the first attempt to send this came through blank. Here it is again, without the logo graphic -- Chris Winter) Ontario's Conservation Summit 2004 Meeting the Conservation Challenge Thursday, November 25, 2004 Liberty Grand, Exhibition Place, Toronto REGISTRATION REQUESTED BY FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19 To register, go to www.greenontario.org/summit/ Why a Summit? -- To celebrate our strengths and plan for an even stronger conservation movement! The Province of Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation are partnering with the Conservation Council of Ontario on a one day conservation summit -- an opportunity to show how Ontario's conservation and environmental organizations can help make Ontario a conserver society. The Ontario government is committed to making Ontario a leader in conservation, and to creating a culture of conservation. Supporting this commitment are specific goals and targets, such as a 5% reduction in electricity consumption by 2007 and a 60% waste diversion rate by 2008. The government is seeking our help. Progressive policy is one part of the solution, but so too is public engagement, and this is where Ontario's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) excel. NGOs can reach almost every one of Ontario's 12 million people. They offer services to help people become better conservers (including home energy audits and car-sharing), provide volunteer opportunities (in habitat restoration and public education), can organize whole communities around conservation campaigns, and provide valuable tips and ideas to their members and the public. Ontario's Conservation Summit starts with an overview of the best NGO programs in Ontario. It then challenges us to look at how we can improve on these programs and organize a strong province-wide conservation movement. Summit Co-Chairs Donna Cansfield, Chair of the Provincial Conservation Action Team Jeb Brugmann, President of the Conservation Council of Ontario Confirmed Speakers The Hon. Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of the Environment The Hon. Dwight Duncan, Minister of Energy Elizabeth May, Sierra Club of Canada Rick Smith, Environmental Defence Paul Gipe, Ontario Sustainable Energy Association Nuala Doherty, The Ontario Trillium Foundation Suzanne Elston, environmental educator Summit Agenda: www.greenontario.org/summit/agenda.html Challenge Paper -- Make sure your group is listed! A challenge paper is being prepared for the Summit, including summaries of existing NGO projects and public services. You can review drafts at the conference website. add in new projects -- if you'd like to add a major provincial program or an example of local leadership please let us know. edit existing entries -- we have used project descriptions gleaned from websites. If you wish, you can change an entry or add in information (such as project statistics). Please be concise and follow the existing format. identify new opportunities -- recommend new projects, NGO collaborations, or multi-sector partnerships that would make a significant difference in strengthening Ontario's conservation movement and/or help achieve Ontario's conservation targets. Ontario's Conservation Summit 2004 -- Register Today www.greenontario.org/summit/registration.html *************************** Promoting conservation leadership, cooperation, and action for over 50 years The Conservation Council of Ontario Suite 132, 215 Spadina Ave, Toronto, M5T 2C7 Ph: (416) 533-1635 Fx: (416) 979-3936 www.greenontario.org Chris Winter, Executive Director -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/greenon-l/attachments/20041116/0a656c61/attachment.html From cco at web.ca Wed Nov 17 12:08:06 2004 From: cco at web.ca (Conservation Council of Ontario) Date: Thu Nov 25 17:30:13 2004 Subject: [greenon-l] Ann --This is the second version that went through Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20041117120735.02dd0a48@pop.web.ca> (My apologies -- the first attempt to send this came through blank. Here it is again, without the logo graphic -- Chris Winter) Ontario's Conservation Summit 2004 Meeting the Conservation Challenge Thursday, November 25, 2004 Liberty Grand, Exhibition Place, Toronto REGISTRATION REQUESTED BY FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19 To register, go to www.greenontario.org/summit/ Why a Summit? -- To celebrate our strengths and plan for an even stronger conservation movement! The Province of Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation are partnering with the Conservation Council of Ontario on a one day conservation summit -- an opportunity to show how Ontario's conservation and environmental organizations can help make Ontario a conserver society. The Ontario government is committed to making Ontario a leader in conservation, and to creating a culture of conservation. Supporting this commitment are specific goals and targets, such as a 5% reduction in electricity consumption by 2007 and a 60% waste diversion rate by 2008. The government is seeking our help. Progressive policy is one part of the solution, but so too is public engagement, and this is where Ontario's non-governmental organizations (NGOs) excel. NGOs can reach almost every one of Ontario's 12 million people. They offer services to help people become better conservers (including home energy audits and car-sharing), provide volunteer opportunities (in habitat restoration and public education), can organize whole communities around conservation campaigns, and provide valuable tips and ideas to their members and the public. Ontario's Conservation Summit starts with an overview of the best NGO programs in Ontario. It then challenges us to look at how we can improve on these programs and organize a strong province-wide conservation movement. Summit Co-Chairs Donna Cansfield, Chair of the Provincial Conservation Action Team Jeb Brugmann, President of the Conservation Council of Ontario Confirmed Speakers The Hon. Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of the Environment The Hon. Dwight Duncan, Minister of Energy Elizabeth May, Sierra Club of Canada Rick Smith, Environmental Defence Paul Gipe, Ontario Sustainable Energy Association Nuala Doherty, The Ontario Trillium Foundation Suzanne Elston, environmental educator Summit Agenda: www.greenontario.org/summit/agenda.html Challenge Paper -- Make sure your group is listed! A challenge paper is being prepared for the Summit, including summaries of existing NGO projects and public services. You can review drafts at the conference website. add in new projects -- if you'd like to add a major provincial program or an example of local leadership please let us know. edit existing entries -- we have used project descriptions gleaned from websites. If you wish, you can change an entry or add in information (such as project statistics). Please be concise and follow the existing format. identify new opportunities -- recommend new projects, NGO collaborations, or multi-sector partnerships that would make a significant difference in strengthening Ontario's conservation movement and/or help achieve Ontario's conservation targets. Ontario's Conservation Summit 2004 -- Register Today www.greenontario.org/summit/registration.html *************************** Promoting conservation leadership, cooperation, and action for over 50 years The Conservation Council of Ontario Suite 132, 215 Spadina Ave, Toronto, M5T 2C7 Ph: (416) 533-1635 Fx: (416) 979-3936 www.greenontario.org Chris Winter, Executive Director -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/greenon-l/attachments/20041117/7e2ff819/attachment.html