Parry Sound-Muskoka Green Party

Harnessing safe and affordable energy is necessary for today and for future generations. The issue of how our energy will be created to power our communities was raised in Ken Black’s editorial in the June 24 edition of the Weekender.

He raised many legitimate concerns and questions about the approach that the traditional parties are taking with energy; however, I was disappointed that the solutions being presented by the Green Party of Ontario (GPO) were not acknowledged. Therefore, I would like to share some practical and realistic steps forward to address our energy needs.
First and foremost, energy conservation needs to be prioritized. The GPO advocates for a realistic step forward with the reinstatement and expansion of the Home Energy Savings Programs to enable homeowners and businesses the ability to use their energy as efficiently as possible. I believe the additional upside is the direct link between this program and the creation of jobs in our local economy.

In regards to the Green Energy Act, the GPO believes it needs a major shift toward an inclusion of the local community. Citizens need to be part of the decision-making process, and need to be recipients of the financial benefits. Another source of energy comes from outside Ontario.
Last year, the amount of power created by Darlington Nuclear, could have been replaced by negotiating agreements to purchase inexpensive hydroelectricity from Quebec. Currently, Vermont is set to buy power from Quebec at six cents per kilowatt hour.

A final option that needs to be further utilized is combined heat and power systems. This system, which already exists in some buildings in Ontario, would capture waste heat from chimneys in large buildings and turn it into electrical energy.

I believe that these are sensible strategies to meet our energy demands that do not involve new nuclear or coal generation.
Hopefully, as Mr. Black had requested, this has provided some details on an alternate plan to that of the Liberal, PC or NDP government. At the same time, core to successful politics is community engagement. Let’s keep the discussion going, without bias, and demand that the best solutions come forward.

Matt Richter, Parry Sound-Muskoka Candidate for Green Party of Ontario