The Ontario provincial government is planning to spend more than $7 billion over four years on a comprehensive climate change initiative that will include incentives for energy efficiency building retrofits, according to a report in the Globe and Mail.
The plan, aimed at reducing Ontario’s carbon footprint, will also include:
- Phasing out natural gas for heating
- Rebates to drivers who buy electric vehicles
- Requirements that gasoline sold in the province contain less carbon
- Building code changes to require all new homes to be heated with electricity or geothermal systems by 2030
- A target for 12% of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2025
Some $3.8 billion will be available for new grants, rebates, and other subsidies to retrofit buildings, and to move heating from natural gas to geothermal, solar power, or other forms of electric heat. Many of these programs will be administered by a new Green Bank, modeled on a similar agency in New York State.
The plan may still be fine-tuned, and will be officially released to the public in June, the Globe and Mail reported.
Related Stories
| Oct 18, 2012
Princeton, N.J. residents upset over proposal to exempt colleges from land use laws
Princeton, N.J. residents criticized proposed legislation that would exempt private colleges and universities from following local land use laws for construction projects.
| Oct 18, 2012
Utah contracting firm challenges state immigration law
Universal Contracting LLC of American Fork, Utah, has filed suit challenging the constitutionality of Utah’s 2011 immigration law.
| Oct 18, 2012
More than 65,000 construction, design jobs may be cut if sequestration takes place
About $2 billion worth of construction and design projects would be eliminated if scheduled federal budget cuts, referred to as sequestration, take effect on Jan. 2, 2013.
| Oct 18, 2012
OSHA investigating parking garage collapse that kills four at Doral, Fla. college
OSHA is investigating the collapse of a five-story concrete parking garage under construction at Miami Dade College West Campus in Doral, Fla. that killed four workers and injured several others.
| Oct 18, 2012
EPA commercial building lead paint rule pushed back to 2015
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's inclusion of commercial buildings in a residential lead paint rule is being delayed until 2015.
| Oct 18, 2012
Chicago pushing green roofs to reduce heat island effect
The city of Chicago has mandated that all new buildings that require any public funds must be LEED certified, usually with a green roof.
| Oct 11, 2012
OSHA launches pilot program for alternative dispute resolution on whistleblower complaints
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is launching an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) pilot program for complaints filed with OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program.
| Oct 11, 2012
Bill promotes investment in commercial, multifamily retrofits
The Commercial Building Modernization Act recently introduced in the Senate would extend and streamline a current tax deduction to encourage commercial and multifamily residential building owners to perform comprehensive energy-efficient retrofits.
