Pushing for Clean Air & a Strong Economy

As I have learned more about the climate crisis, I have also learned more about the many ways we can reduce our emissions: in our home, our consumer decisions, as we travel, how we eat. We also have had the great opportunity to access different loans and grants, funded by the Canadian government.

I have also learned a great deal about the many different ways that individuals, groups, organizations, and levels of government are involved with combating the climate crisis.

In 2022 the Government of Canada published the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy. This is the road map for how Canada is going to reduce our emissions and continue to have a strong economy. There are nine areas, including , and I encourage everyone to take a look at and read the plan. I was, not surprisingly, particularly interested in the buildings section of the plan: we accessed federal grants and loans to fund our new heat pump and improvements to our home envelope. One accomplishment of the plan is the 2.6 billion dollar Greener Homes Grant, and certainly when I have shared our journey through in the Live Net Zero contest through my union, with my neighbours, at my church, and at my school, I have highlighted the importance of the federal grants and loans to make these changes. It has been an integral part of our emissions reduction journey, and an essential financial aspect of the overarching home improvement challenge.

I was very surprised to learn that the Greener Homes Grant is no longer continuing…. Essentially, from what I understand, the fund is out of money. This is a good thing, for it indicates that people were accessing the program. However, it is unfortunate that it is coming to an end without anything to take its place, grant or loan. I share a February 5th CBC article here.

Also in early February, the Government of Canada issued this media release from Environment and Climate Change Canada which is requesting input and public engagement on Canada’s 2035 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target.

I completed the survey, and found it to be very interesting to see how individual emissions reductions fit into the big picture. It takes about 15 minutes to complete, and provides opportunities for you to give suggestions.

Here is the Talking Targets Survey link, from Environment and Climate Change Canada. It closes on March 29th.

At the end of the survey, it shares the current responses people have completed. I have to admit, I was extremely surprised by some of the results. On the question “how do you feel about our country’s current efforts to fight climate change”, 584 said ‘not enough’, while 754 said ‘far too much’. On the question “how do you think the Government of Canada should approach the next decade of climate action, 608 said much faster, while 737 said ‘much slower’.

I encourage everyone to complete the survey, and share with others.