Media Release – Sarnia, Ontario, April 07, 2016
The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership (SLEP) is calling on the provincial government to partner with local industry to understand the broader impact of the government’s cap-and-trade strategy on Lambton County’s economy.
SLEP is broadly supportive of the government’s goals to reduce carbon emissions but is concerned with the tight timetable for implementation. SLEP recognizes that the region will have to make significant changes to mitigate the impacts of cap-and-trade on traditional sectors of Lambton’s economy.
SLEP has put forward three recommendations on the development of a province-wide cap-and-trade strategy:
- Complete a regional economic impact analysis that will study the short-term and long-term cumulative effects of cap-and-trade on the region’s economy, and future investment in the region. In addition, the Province should provide clarity on free allowances for new or expanded businesses in order to attract new investments and jobs to the region
- Invest in Lambton County’s bio-industrial complex to develop new technologies that will reduce carbon emissions, and will help the region diversify and modernize its economy
- Provide transition funding to energy-intensive trade industries, including the petrochemical and oil refining sectors, to encourage early investment in new energy efficient technologies
“Lambton County has a unique local economy, with a long history in the oil and chemical sectors that continues to employ thousands of highly skilled workers across the region. We want to work together with the Ontario government to ensure that cap-and-trade will have a positive impact on our economy, while helping to achieve the government’s goals to reduce the impacts of climate change,” said George Mallay, General Manger, Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership.
SLEP will continue to engage with Ontario government officials, local industry, and municipal and First Nation leaders to put forward our recommendations as the Province develops a cap-and-trade strategy. SLEP believes that the region’s strengths in research and development, as well as its experience in alternative energy technologies, can be a resource to the provincial government to support cap-and-trade and stimulate economic growth in Lambton County.
Contact:
George Mallay, General Manager
Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership
mallay@sarnialambton.on.ca
519-332-1820