TheGreenHub.ca is publishing articles about green issues affecting the upcoming provincial election in Ontario, concentrating on candidates from Brant and Haldimand-Norfolk ridings.
Candidates have been asked to answer 10 green-specific questions. This is all being done through social media, through the internet, via e-mail.
The poll is a non-partisan one and we are publishing one answer daily, kept to 250 words or less, verbatim and unedited.
To recap, the candidates contacted are: Brant / Brian Van Tilborg (NDP), Dave Levac (Liberal), Ken Burns (Green), Michael St. Amant (PC); Haldimand-Norfolk / Greg Crone (Liberal), Ian Nichols (NDP), Justin Blake (Green) and Toby Barrett (PC).
We will run their answers daily, one question at time, until Friday, September 23, 2010. Each day’s posting will be tacked on the end of the main story, so that a complete compilation will be ongoing.
We have also included some links to video and other online sources for each of the four major parties. That will be included at the bottom of the ongoing main story, as well.
(TheGreenHub.ca is a news and information website serving the area including Brantford, Six Nations, Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk counties, a provincially-designated area called The Green Energy Hub. We have had close to 100,000 visitors to the site since late 2010.)
Follow us on Twitter @the_green_hub and @TheHubman, Facebook at thegreenhub. For questions or comments, please contact Greg McMillan at greg@thegreenhub.ca
DAY FIVE
Question:
What is your, or your party’s, position on geothermal energy and the creation of supporting businesses in The Green Hub?
Brant Riding
Answers:
Ken Burns / Green
“Same answer as for Day 5 of TheGreenHub.ca Election Challenge. We support the Green Energy Act, and we will ensure that it is fully and appropriately implemented as it was originally intended. Applications must be processed within 30 days, and the current barriers to connecting micro-generation to the grid must be removed. We will restore and build public confidence in the reliability of the FIT and microFIT programs so that local businesses in the Green Energy Hub will find a market, at home and across the province.
We will insist on meaningful local participation in energy projects, support micro-generation, and community based renewables that generate local benefits. Everyone should have the option to become renewable energy producers, earning income by generating clean, green power for the province.
While I would certainly champion efforts to see as much of that investment come to the Green Energy Hub as possible, there is much more that can be done to realize the benefits of a Green Energy Hub. As much as we have a skilled labour force in our community, we also have a brain trust in the Green Energy Hub. We need to focus on the development of new technologies and innovation in green energy. The colleges and universities are already responding with programs in these areas, and we would continue to foster the growth of these programs and partnerships with local businesses. Through this parallel approach dealing with the present and the future, the Green Energy Hub will see the jobs of today and tomorrow.
Dave Levac / Liberal
“Geothermal energy is a vital component of the total mix of clean, renewable energy generation and we support this industry and encourage its use. Geothermal will prove invaluable in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.”
Brian Van Tilborg / New Democrat
“While there have been large scale geothermal projects in places as diverse as Germany, Denmark, China, the Middle East and Iceland, Ontario has yet to go there in as large scale a way. It would be nice to see this move forward as another affordable green choice. To this end the Ontario NDP plan to sustain and improve the home energy retrofit program would help encourage geothermal energy as an option for homes.
The Ontario Geothermal Association which tracks geothermal projects in the province shows that our riding is under-utilizing the geothermal option. We have room to grow here. ONDP Leader Andrea Horwath’s riding has quite a great deal of completed geothermal energy projects including many high profile industrial uses. I would support more of that in Brant as it is a very clean renewable energy source.”
Michael St. Amant / PC
No response.
Haldimand-Norfolk riding
Answers:
Justin Blake / Green
No response.
Greg Crone / Liberal
No response.
Ian Nichols / New Democrat
“Ontario’s New Democrats recognize the significant potential of geothermal energy. As part of our $940 million retrofit loan, grant and rebate program, homeowners can get grants at the federal level for a new geothermal heat pump when they upgrade heating equipment.”
Toby Barrett / PC
No response.
TheGreenHub.ca Election Challenge Archive
Day 1
Day 2
Day3
Day 4
Day 5
Key links and sources for Ontario Election 2011
Snapshots
Party platforms / leader profiles
About Brant
About Haldimand-Norfolk
Online resources for Brant riding
Detailed Party platforms (Drop-down PDF pages)
Green
New Democrat
Liberal
PC
Miscellaneous news
TVO / Energy and the Ontario election
Interactive chart / The citizens’ agenda / Energy in Ontario
About Brant riding
Brant Green candidate Ken Burns supporting Green Energy Act
Brantford Expositor reporter Hugo Rodrigues Twitter compilation
Compiled by Greg McMillan of TheGreenHub.ca
