Congratulation's Ontario

http://www.desmog.ca/2014/04/17/ontario-s-electricity-officially-coal-free

Ontario’s Electricity Is Officially Coal Free

Last Tuesday the government of Ontario announced the Thunder Bay Generating Station – Ontario’s last coal-fired power plant – had burnt off its last supply of coal. The electricity of Canada’s most populous province is officially coal free.
“Today we celebrate a cleaner future for our children and grandchildren while embracing the environmental benefits that our cleaner energy sources will bring,” says Bob Chiarelli, Ontario’s
Minister of Energy, in a press release](http://news.ontario.ca/mei/en/2014/04/creating-cleaner-air-in-ontario-1.html).
The coal power plant in Thunder Bay was one of five in Ontario that a little over ten years ago produced 25 per cent of the province’s electricity. Burning coal is a particularly polluting form of generating electricity and shutting down Ontario’s five coal plants is the equivalent of pulling seven million cars off the road in terms of global warming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Ontario is the first province or state in North America to successfully phase out the burning of coal to produce electricity. The Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development describes the move as the “single largest regulatory action in North America”](http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2014/canadian_carbon_policy_review_2013.pdf) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The province’s coal phase out arrives a year ahead of schedule. Ontario Premier Ernie Eves committed in 2002 to shut down all the province’s coal power plants by 2015. Last year, the province’s current premier Kathleen Wynne introduced legislation that will ban coal](http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/event.php?ItemID=27605) from being used for electricity production in Ontario ever again.
The Ontario Clear Air Alliance (OCAA)](http://www.cleanairalliance.org/), a Toronto-based organization that played a central role in the coal phase out welcomed Tuesday’s announcement describing it as a “great day for our province and our planet.”
David vs Goliath - Ontarians’ Campaign to Shut Down Coal Plants
“When we started our campaign, people in Ontario who considered themselves to be politically astute, assumed that we didn’t have a chance to achieve a coal phase-out. And it is not surprising that they thought so. We were engaged in a David and Goliath battle,” says Jack Gibbons, director of the Ontario Clear Air Alliance.
“The majority of the people of Ontario didn’t know that Ontario had coal-fired power plants. And they certainly didn’t know that our Nanticoke Generating Station on Lake Erie was the largest coal plant in North America and Canada’s #1 air polluter,” Gibbons told DeSmog Canada. Nanticoke shut down last December.
The Ontario Clean Air Alliance formed in 1997 to push for an end to coal in the province. Currently the Alliance consists of ninety public health organizations, faith groups, unions, hydro utilities and municipalities, including the City of Toronto.
“People thought that while the OCAA might be well meaning it was engaged in a futile campaign that was sure to fail,” recalls Gibbons.
The political context in Ontario was less than ideal for a campaign against coal when the Alliance got started. Progressive Conservative leader Mike Harris was premier at that time. The ‘Harris Years’](http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ghost-of-mike-harris-still-haunts-ontario-politics-1.705725) remembered by many Ontarians as a time of severe cuts to the public sector and clashes with environmental groups. This was not the premier one would expect to bring about the end of coal in Ontario.
Surprisingly, it was Harris who legislated in 2001 the closing of the Lakeview coal power](http://www.ctvnews.ca/lakeview-power-plant-demolished-by-explosives-1.246575)plant in Mississauga. Lakeview closed four years later becoming the first of Ontario’s five coal plants to shut down.
Game Changer – Ontario Medical Association Speaks Out Against Air Pollution
“The involvement of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) in the air pollution issue changed everything,” Gibbons told DeSmog Canada.
On May 12th, 1998, the president of the OMA, an organization representing the province’s doctors, announced “air pollution is a public health crisis”](https://opha.on.ca/OPHA/media/Resources/Position-Papers/1999-01_res.pdf?ext=.pdf) in Ontario. Two years later the Association released a study showing air pollution killed 1,900 Ontarians per year and cost the economy $10 billion](http://news.ontario.ca/archive/en/2006/02/17/Ontario-Challenges-US-To-Protect-Air-Quality.html) annually.
“While the politicians could ignore the environmentalists when they said that smog kills, they couldn’t ignore Ontario’s doctors. And neither the politicians nor OPG (Ontario Power Generation) dared to challenge the doctors when they said that air pollution is a public health crisis in Ontario. As a result, the politicians had to find a solution to this crisis,” says Gibbons from Toronto.
The Thunder Bay coal power plant will be converted to biomass in order to keep producing electricity and has retained sixty jobs in the process. According to the province of Ontario, a combination of nuclear, biomass, natural gas, waterpower, wind and solar power have made up for the power coal once produced. All are far less polluting than coal-fired electrical generation.
**Is a Phase Out of Nuclear Power Next? **
As for the Ontario Clear Air Alliance, one campaign has ended and a new campaign has already begun. The Alliance’s focus now is to phase out nuclear power](http://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/government-of-ontario-stop-opg-s-30-price-increase) in Ontario, possibly a far more difficult task given over half of Ontario’s electricity comes from nuclear and the province’s two biggest political parties – Liberals and Progressive Conservatives – support nuclear power.
Gibbons believes by using a similar strategy that the Alliance’s used for its coal campaign they will succeed in phasing out nuclear. The pillars of the organization’s success with coal, according to Gibbons, was having a clear message, good solution, and credible messenger, addressing an important political issue, and building a strong base of public support.
“That in a nutshell is how we achieved the coal phase-out,” Gibbons told DeSmog Canada.
The Ontario Clear Air Alliance’s goal is for Ontario to run on one hundred per cent renewable energy by 2030.

Coal is a great resource.

What a shame to drive everyone’s energy prices up for some wacky enviro dream.

This is a hoot. Go for it Ontario. Bundle up. :wink:

It is obvious Ontario is pleased with the solar Collector system like I have .
They are continuing the program again till the end of 2015

http://microfit.powerauthority.on.ca/types-renewable-technology-types](http://microfit.powerauthority.on.ca/types-renewable-technology-types)

lol

Real smart those fellas are.

Paying 10 times the cost for every kW of Solar.

As they say follow the money.

It is obvious the Ontario voter is satisfied with what our government is doing the just won the election with a huge majority .

Having visited many other places I and a large % of Ontarians love what we have and will not leave to get less and pay more .

We all no there is no such thing as perfection .
But Ontario sure looks great to many.

I do not see the complaints here that I see elsewhere .
Satisfaction is great and Ontario moves on.

lol

You get the government you deserve.

enjoy.

Ontario is run totally by Liberal Progressives. Not a true conservative in sight.

Like I said.

You get the government you deserve.

We have it great .It is fantastic .

Life expectancy is number 12 on the world list 81.67 years .

http://www.geoba.se/population.php?pc=world&type=015&year=2014&st=rank&asde=&page=1

Progressives always seem to think they can cheat the math of their leftist policies.

Ultimately it all comes crashing down around their ears.

lol

When the USA needs help Canada has always been there .
We are each others best trading partners.
I do not remember seeing where a Canadian on this forum has complained about your system or your government
I feel it is none of my business to tell the USA how to run their government or what their politics should be .

I stand against leftist progressives in all places.

Get over it.

You are the looser who can not stand to see others be happy

And you are a twit.

I am not here to make you happy.

I offer a sane and rational opinion of progressives.

They cannot do math.

They have to lie to get their policies enacted.

That they can find so many that are so gullible has always fascinated me.

They are some of the most smug and arrogant people I have ever encountered.

Looks like California likes what Ontario does with solar Collectors’ and they are also doing it too.
[FONT=Times New Roman]http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/[/FONT]](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/)
California Solar Initiative (CSI)

The California Solar Initiative offers solar incentives to energy customers (except new homes).
The CSI Program has a goal to install 1,940 MW of new solar by 2017.
Important decisions, CSI history, and Program overview can be seen here](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/About_the_California_Solar_Initiative.htm).
RECENT NEWS AND QUICK LINKS</SPAN>

· October 2014: New CSI Handbook](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/89E2B291-2DB9-423B-9321-CE330E9EB2A0/0/201410CSI_Handbook.pdf) updates previous version
· July 2014: AB 217 Implementation Staff Proposal Released](http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M096/K688/96688965.PDF)
· June 2014: CSI Annual Program Assessment](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9FBE11AB-1120-4BE1-8C66-8C239E36A641/0/CASolarInitiativeReport2014_0701.pdf)
· June 2014: CSI Administrative Performance Annual Data Annex](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/77819A0E-C5D3-47FA-B2E6-06A03EDE760F/0/CSIDataAnnexAnnualReport2013.pdf) report released
· May 2014: New CSI Handbook](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/32EE6DE8-F5A6-4CEA-9905-3C59ECB2CD06/0/201405CSI_Handbook.pdf) corrects previous version
· April 2014: CSI Market Transformation Study](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/California_Solar_Initiative_Market_Assessment_Studies.htm) released
</SPAN>
CSI Program Components

· Go Solar California](http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/) – Consumer Information on All Solar Programs
· General Market Program](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/CSI_General_Market_Program.htm)
· Single-family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) Program](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/sash.htm)
· Multi-family Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) Program](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/mash.htm)
· Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment (RD&D) Program](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/rdd.htm)
· CSI-Thermal Program](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/swh/index.htm)
· CSI-Thermal Low-Income Program](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/lowincomeolarwater.htm)
· Other Solar Generation Technologies](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/othersolar.htm)
CSI Staff Work Products

· CSI Program Forums](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/forum.htm) - Quarterly public meeting to discuss program changes
· Staff Presentations](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/presentations.htm)
· Workshops](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/workshops.htm)
· CSI Program Evaluation](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/evaluation.htm)
· CSI Marketing and Outreach](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/outreach.htm)
· CSI Progress Reports](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/legreports.htm)
**CSI Regulatory Proceeding Documents **

· Solar Initiative Compendium - Decisions, Resolutions and Legislative Actions 2006-2009](http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/SearchRes.aspx?docformat=ALL&DocID=65614982)
· Distributed Generation Proceeding Information](http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/DistGen/docketinfo.htm)
· Documents for Distributed Generation Proceeding](http://delaps1.cpuc.ca.gov/CPUCProceedingLookup/f?p=401:56:2051342082926001::NO:RP,57,RIR:P5_PROCEEDING_SELECT:R1211005) [once there, click on either the “Documents”, “Rulings”, or “Decisions” tab]

Wow, Roy just discovered that California is run by envirowackos.

He’s sure one smart Cookie. :roll:

Thanks for the compliment much appreciated … Roy

The finer points of extreme sarcasm are lost on the stupid liberals. :roll:

They need more help than is available.

Oh! you mean that was not a compliment .
here I thought you where trying to be nice to me now I am sad.

Not going to happen Roy.

At least I don’t lie to you so you got something to hang on to.