The world is changing, so too is the climate outside that impact our world. The change is already having impacts in some parts of the world and 16 years old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, has taken notice. She has re-energize a global push for action on climate change.
Edmonton joins again in this global climate action this Friday, September 27, 2019, after global leaders meeting on climate change last Monday in New York, USA. Students in Edmonton will join others across the globe to demand action on the climate crisis from all levels of government and civil society. Participants who want to march will meet at Churchill Square at 12:00 PM and march to the Legislature. Parents and guardians have the responsibility to give permission to their children to join the march to fight for a future that they desire.
Coincidentally, it’s election time in Canada. What are the leading political parties proposing to tackle climate change as our kids request?
In Delta, B.C., the Liberal Campaign said a re-elected Liberal government will help Canadians lower their energy bills, make their homes more energy-efficient, and give them the tools to prepare for climate related disasters. “Climate change is real, and it’s happening now. As a country we must come together to fight it, and we also need to deal with its consequences”.
A re-elected Liberal government will make life more affordable for Canadians, cut our emissions, and protect the environment.
- We will help retrofit 1.5 million homes to help Canadians make their homes more energy efficient, and better protect them from climate-related risks;
- We will help homeowners and landlords pay for retrofits by giving them an interest-free loan of up to $40,000;
- We will help people buy newly built homes that are certified zero-emissions by giving them a Net Zero Homes Grant of up to $5,000; and
- We will invest $100 million in skills training, to ensure there are enough qualified workers to keep up with energy audits, retrofits, and net-zero home construction.
- introducing over 50 measures to fight climate change and protect our environment, from banning single-use plastics to putting a price on pollution;
- investing to encourage new homes to be built carbon neutral;
- helping ensure Canadians have access to the most energy-efficient appliances to help cut energy costs and support our climate action goals; and
- establishing the $2 billion Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to help communities prevent and prepare for growing climate risks.
In Jonquière, QC, the Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer was at Potvin & Bouchard, highlighting the Conservatives’ proposed Green Homes Tax Credit, a two-year program to encourage homeowners to renovate their homes in ways that lower their power bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Canadians will be eligible to receive a 20% refundable credit on their income tax for green improvements to their homes of over $1,000 and up to $20,000. This would allow Canadians to save up to $3,800 on their renovations each year.
Eligible renovations would include:
- Installation of high-quality insulation
- Investments in high-efficiency furnaces
- Replacement of doors and windows with more efficient models
- Upgrading of ventilation, heating and cooling systems
- Installation of solar panels
“No environmental plan is complete without a serious plan to tackle emissions from buildings,” Scheer said. “Our Green Homes Tax Credit will help lower these emissions and fight climate change while putting more money in Canadians’ pockets so they can get ahead.
This measure is one of the 55 policies of our environmental plan, A Real Plan to Protect our Environment, introduced earlier this year. It is a realistic plan that balances Canada’s obligation to fight climate change with the core Conservative promise to put more money in Canadians’ pockets so they can get ahead.
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