Ontario Greens will make transit and driving electric more affordable instead of ramping up expensive climate pollution

April 4, 2022

QUEEN'S PARK — Mike Schreiner made the following statement in response to news that the government will introduce legislation to bring in a temporary six-month gas tax cut to start on July 1:

“It’s telling that on the very same day the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a landmark report stating that there must be ‘rapid, deep and immediate’ cuts to carbon emissions, Doug Ford wants to drive up climate pollution in Ontario by further subsidizing fossil fuels.

The climate emergency is making life more expensive. So long as our lives are dictated by Big Oil, Ontarians’ will be at the whim of fluctuating oil prices and geopolitics.

We need to get Big Oil out of our pockets.

Ontario Greens are proposing real, sustainable and financially responsible solutions that will make life more affordable both immediately and in the long-term:

• Immediately cut public transit fares in half, by reallocating a portion of the billions currently planned for highways to municipalities and transit systems
• Make it more affordable and accessible to drive and bike electric by implementing a $10,000 cash incentive for a new electric car and $1,000 for a used electric car or e-bike
• Stamp out sprawl and build livable, affordable and connected communities so people aren’t forced to spend hours in expensive commutes

Like the license plate fees, cutting the gas tax is a short-sighted gimmick that will also do nothing to help the many lower income Ontarians who don’t own cars.”

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