2006 By-election -- Parkdale-High Park

Question #1: Do you believe the Government of Ontario should issue a legally binding regulation requiring the phase-out of coal burning at the Nanticoke Generating Station by 2009?

Sylvia Watson, Liberals:
I support shutting down coal fired generation in Ontario as soon as possible, but believe that the reliability of our energy system should be our primary concern.  Because of recent adjustments by the IESO, the government has asked the experts at the OPA to work with the IESO to develop a revised schedule for replacing coal-fired generation with cleaner sources. Having said that, I'm proud to be running for a party that shut down the Lakeview Generating Station, the largest polluter in the GTA. Further, the McGuinty government introduced Standard Offer Contracts which allows anyone to sell renewable energy back into the power grid for a fixed rate; a plan that has been hailed by many environmentalists as the most progressive in North America. The government has also made renewable energy a priority, bringing more wind power online than any government before them and has invested over $2 billion in conservation.  These are the kind of progressive initiatives we need to ensure a clean and reliable energy system in the future.

Cheri DiNovo, NDP:
Yes.

As MPP I will hold the McGuinty Liberals to account for their commitment to shut down Nanticoke by 2009.  They are in government, they can allocate resources, they have the authority.  Unfortunately, for the last three years they have refused to take action.  I believe the government should focus on efficiency, cogeneration and renewables to meet their commitment.  While the Liberals have refused to act Ontario’s biggest polluter continues to damage our air.  They have to fix it.  I will pressure them to do so.

Dave Hutcheon, Progressive Conservative:
Yes, I agree.

I believe that Ontario needs to replace the old, dirty-coal technology at Nanticoke at the earliest possible date, subject only to the securing of replacement energy prior to the conversion of Nanitcoke.  It would make me even happier if this could happen before 2009.

Frank de Jong, Green Party:
Yes! 

The Green Party believes our children and all other living things have the right to clean air, land and water. The Green Party will develop a Clean Air Act which would significantly reduce industrial, commercial and municipal emissions of air pollutants. 

The real goal should be to reduce our dependency on fossil fuel generated electricity.  We need to focus on conservation as the main tool for bringing energy supply and demand into balance.  Simultaneously we need to be increasing supply from renewable energy sources (hydro, wind, solar) as we retire existing dirty generating capacity.  These initiatives can be undertaken at a variety of scales, with a variety of funding models.

Your backgrounder indicates that air pollution in Ontario kills thousands of people, results in tens of thousands of hospital visits and millions of lost work hours each year.  At a total cost of $7.8 billion per year, how can we afford to degrade our citizens’ quality of life and burden our already strained healthcare system?  While the Nanticoke station is not the only cause of this problem province wide, it is the largest single source of toxic air pollution in Canada. 

The Green Party would phase-out coal burning at Nanticoke by 2009!