Tim Hudak and the Progressive Conservative party bet that people in Ontario would want out of the Liberal's Green Energy Act. His confidence appears to have been misguided. The Liberal victory fell just shy of the 54 seats they needed for a majority. Final seat counts put the Liberals at 53 and the Tories at 37, with the New Democrats at 17. The Liberals won about 37 per cent of the popular vote, just ahead of the Tories at 35. The NDP was at 23 per cent. However, just 47.6 per cent of eligible voters turned out, down from 52.1 per cent who voted in 2007.
As the economic storm clouds darken over North America people are looking for a better future. Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty's Green Energy Act offers promise, whereas Hudak's job creation strategy relied almost exclusively on tax cuts.
Hudak's negative campaign was another factor that did not resonate with voters. Conservatives promised to remove the HST from home hydro and heating bills, to lower income taxes on the first $75,000, to allow income splitting among couples and to reduce red tape for business.
Although Hudak was ahead in the poll this summer, his pledge to end the Liberal green energy scheme that supports local wind and solar producers contributed to his loss.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
Showing posts with label stimulus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stimulus. Show all posts
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Ontario Votes as the Green Energy Act Benefits Schools and the Province
As people in Ontario vote in provincial elections, the top two contenders are in a tight race. The governing Liberals under Premier Dalton McGuinty will need to lose 17 or more seats in order to lose their majority.
Due to his campaign's lack of vision, the PC hopeful, Tim Hudak, lost his massive lead in the polls. Hudak pledged to reverse the Liberal's investments in the green economy.
The provincial Liberal’s Green Energy Act is “good for consumers, good for business and good for workers,” says John Podesta, the ex-chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton. He also warned Canadians about the fear and misinformation campaigns from entrenched interests in the old energy economy.
School buildings are amongst the many beneficiaries of the the Green Energy Act. “Our government’s landmark renewable energy strategy is allowing municipalities, utilities and local businesses, as well as schools, including colleges and universities, to install solar panels, which benefits the environment, reduces pressure on the electricity grid and creates longer-term revenue,” said David Orazietti, MPP on July 13, “With approximately $1 billion in alternative energy investments in the Sault and area in recent years, and solar panels made here in our city used in this local project, we should all be concerned about political parties in Ontario, who if elected, would cost Sault Ste. Marie hundreds of high-quality jobs.”
The solar panels being installed on the roof of Algoma University’s George Leach Centre is an example of state supported renewable energy investment. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) provided $50,000 for the project, which is expected to create 159 KWH of power and generate annual revenues of $127,000 a year that will be shared between the University and the Sault Ste. Marie PUC.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
Due to his campaign's lack of vision, the PC hopeful, Tim Hudak, lost his massive lead in the polls. Hudak pledged to reverse the Liberal's investments in the green economy.
The provincial Liberal’s Green Energy Act is “good for consumers, good for business and good for workers,” says John Podesta, the ex-chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton. He also warned Canadians about the fear and misinformation campaigns from entrenched interests in the old energy economy.
School buildings are amongst the many beneficiaries of the the Green Energy Act. “Our government’s landmark renewable energy strategy is allowing municipalities, utilities and local businesses, as well as schools, including colleges and universities, to install solar panels, which benefits the environment, reduces pressure on the electricity grid and creates longer-term revenue,” said David Orazietti, MPP on July 13, “With approximately $1 billion in alternative energy investments in the Sault and area in recent years, and solar panels made here in our city used in this local project, we should all be concerned about political parties in Ontario, who if elected, would cost Sault Ste. Marie hundreds of high-quality jobs.”
The solar panels being installed on the roof of Algoma University’s George Leach Centre is an example of state supported renewable energy investment. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) provided $50,000 for the project, which is expected to create 159 KWH of power and generate annual revenues of $127,000 a year that will be shared between the University and the Sault Ste. Marie PUC.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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Thursday, September 29, 2011
Investing in Education is the Key to Developing the Green Economy
In President Obama's State of the Union Address, he spoke about how America can win the future by out-educating, out-innovating and out-building the rest of the world. The challenge of building the green economy is dependent on well educated students and this depends on government investment.
According to Jack Lew, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, "Getting our fiscal house in order requires shared sacrifice. But even in these tough times, we have a responsibility to make smart investments in our Nation's future. That's why we must invest in innovation to ensure that the jobs and industries of the future are built right here in America. It's why we need to invest in roads, bridges, high-speed rail and high-speed Internet to help our businesses ship their goods and ideas around the world.
Lew shares the President's veiw that "America must invest in education so that all of our children have an opportunity to fulfill their potential. Even though parents are the key to a child's education, we have a responsibility to ensure that America's students are prepared to compete and thrive in the 21st century global economy."
It makes sense to invest in schools because investing in education is the key to the future, while under funding schools is the road to a certain national demise. We cannot create 21st century schools in 19th century classrooms.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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According to Jack Lew, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, "Getting our fiscal house in order requires shared sacrifice. But even in these tough times, we have a responsibility to make smart investments in our Nation's future. That's why we must invest in innovation to ensure that the jobs and industries of the future are built right here in America. It's why we need to invest in roads, bridges, high-speed rail and high-speed Internet to help our businesses ship their goods and ideas around the world.
Lew shares the President's veiw that "America must invest in education so that all of our children have an opportunity to fulfill their potential. Even though parents are the key to a child's education, we have a responsibility to ensure that America's students are prepared to compete and thrive in the 21st century global economy."
It makes sense to invest in schools because investing in education is the key to the future, while under funding schools is the road to a certain national demise. We cannot create 21st century schools in 19th century classrooms.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Green Schools are Bridging the Knowledge Gap
Sustainable Education is Key to Accessing the Green Economy
Green Memes and Schools
The Green Market's Green Schools Series
Searchable Environmental Education Resources
Sierra's 2011 List of Cool Green Schools Points West
The Princeton Review's 2012 Top Green Schools Honor Role
Fiske's Top 10 Colleges for Environmental Education
Top Five Green Master Degree Programs
Online Green MBA Programs
US Green MBA Program Directory
World's Best Green MBA Programs
Ashridge Masters in Sustainability and Responsibility
Find Sustainable Education at GreenDegreeDirectory
CareerOneStop’s Environmental Education Finder
Green School Census
The Sustainability Education Series from Green Education Online
Green Education Online Training
Green Training Modules From Green Education Online
Building a Sustainability Strategy Online Course
Social Business at Blue Planet Life
Blue Planet Academy Green Certificate Programs
Blue Planet Academy Environmental Training in the Developing World
Hult International Business School Launches Master in Social Entrepreneurship
Stony Brook University's Sustainability focused BA Degrees
Sustainable Certificates from Irvine Valley College
Harvard Corporate Sustainability Distance Learning Course
Course Descriptions for Green Courses at San Diego State University College of Extended Studies
Green Education at San Diego State University College of Extended Studies
E-Learning Course on the Legal Frameworks of Sustainability
Friday, May 27, 2011
Obama's National Goal of One Million EVs by 2015
Unlike the Apollo program, we already possess the technology and one million EVs is a modest goal given that this represents one third of one percent of the quarter of a billion vehicles in the US. One million electric cars represent less than 10 percent of the current annual automotive sales.
One of the challenges associated with goal of one million EVs was exposed in a February 2011 report out of Indiana University, titled “Plug-in Electric Vehicles: A Practical Plan for Progress.” (pdf). The study indicates that automakers currently have no plans to meet the President's 2015 goal.
This contridicts a Department of Energy report that said: "The production capacity of EV models announced to enter the U.S. market through 2015 should be sufficient to achieve the goal of one million EVs by 2015." The report also notes that 1.6 million hybrids have been sold over the past six years.
Obama's goal is of crucial importance because it will help to grow EV production as well as test the technologies and the supporting infrastructures. It will also help EVs benefit from cost and price reductions associated with mass production.
Moving towards EVs is of paramount importance to the environment and America's competitive positioning. Unlike the Apollo program, the government's support of EVs provides tangible benefits like reducing dependence on foreign oil and curbing greenhouse gases. All things considered, one million EVs by 2015 is a modest and attainable goal. Whether or not we have one million EVs on the road in the US by 2015 does not matter as much as the building momentum for an America free of fossil fuel powered vehicles.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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