Learning to Love the Carbon Tax - theHumm November 2020

By — Chandler Swain

So we come toward the end of a doozy of a year. We have all faced up to some intense challenges and proved that, when we really need to change our way of doings things to prevent bad stuff from getting worse, we can do it. Along with issues related to the virus, the most profound problem we all face is the Climate Crisis. However, there is a silver lining to our pulling together for this one: we get a prosperous livable world for our kids and grandkids!

One thing that we and the planet can benefit from is the widely misunderstood Carbon Tax. If you feel a negative response to this tool for lowering our carbon emissions, here is the perspective from two climate activists, one living in our largest city, and one living locally and rurally, who can fill us in on why they support a “carbon tax”.

Anita Payne is a local climate activist who lives rurally in Lanark County. She founded the Citizens’ Climate Lobby of Lanark County, and is an active member of the Green Party who has run as a candidate locally. I wanted to hear her very knowledgeable perspective to help make the case for the Carbon Tax:

Anita Payne: I believe that it is our individual responsibility to help lessen humanity’s impact on the biosphere to maintain a livable planet Earth. The carbon tax and rebate program is meant to encourage people to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. How people respond is totally up to them. If you have a high carbon lifestyle and continue in that fashion, you will pay for it. If you reduce your carbon footprint, the rebate will exceed the extra cost of the carbon tax.

The federal and provincial governments could help with programs to increase the energy efficiency of buildings and encourage us to switch from fossil fuel use to electricity, such as the current federal electric vehicle rebate. In a rural area people do have to drive, but they can still make choices to reduce their fuel use, such as the type of vehicle they drive. Charging electric vehicles is really not a problem locally as there are now many public stations as well as home capacity.

Farmers who have expenses such as drying grain or heating greenhouses will particularly feel the effects of the carbon tax. Some tax relief has already been provided for greenhouses. The government can also help farmers reduce their emissions by supporting programs such as ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services) that pays farmers for projects to increase carbon sequestration and improve ecosystem functioning. Alternatively, farmers could engage in projects that provide carbon offsets to polluters who pay them a fee. This could be a project that plants trees on marginal farmland to offset air travel.

The National Farmers Union released a report in 2019 called Tackling the Farm Crisis and the Climate Crisis. The report says both the farm and the climate crises have the same causes and largely the same solutions: “reduce dependence on high-emission petro-industrial farm inputs and rely more on ecological cycles, energy from the sun and the knowledge and wisdom of farm families.” The report details many ways that farmers can reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and move toward agro-ecological approaches.

Many residents of Lanark County enjoy rural or small town living but commute some distance to their jobs. Fortunately, more people are now able to work from home. That may be a continuing trend. Of course there are many jobs that cannot be done from home, but it is a choice whether you live close to or far from work.

The carbon tax and rebate is a tool that encourages all of us to be good stewards of our environment.

Cheryl McNamara is a communications and advocacy specialist. She founded the Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Toronto chapter in 2010. Since then she has lobbied more than 100 political offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Washington, advocating for the carbon pricing mechanism: carbon fee and dividend. I asked her as a taxpayer from a large city why she thinks the carbon tax is a good idea.

Cheryl McNamara: The climate crisis frightens me, and I feel duty-bound to create a safe future for children today and the generations that follow. One of the lessons I learned in camping is to leave the place in better shape than how I found it. I carry that lesson in life too. As I accept the scientific process that tells us that burning fossil fuels warms the biosphere, I also accept the economic consensus that pricing carbon is an effective and efficient way to send a market signal to shift to clean energy alternatives and help diversify our economy. The evidence is there. Did you know that in BC, domestic sales in clean tech products grew by 48 percent in just two years after the province introduced the carbon tax? We know this works.

Why doesn’t paying extra for a carbon tax bother you as a Canadian taxpayer?

Over the years I have made choices to reduce my carbon footprint, so really, the rising fee on carbon does not impact me. And that’s its point — to serve as a market signal to encourage people to make low- to no-carbon choices. As the carbon fee rises annually it prompts more and new innovations. Industry and the market respond, and those alternatives will be more readily available and accessible.

Also I am fully rebated for the extra that I’m paying — more so in fact — due to the government’s Carbon Climate Action Incentive payment on my income tax return. (See sidebar for link to details).

Paying taxes is my civic duty. Now that our country’s debt has increased many-fold due to the pandemic, and more needs to be spent to help Canadians recover, I am happy to pay a bit more in taxes than before and to contribute to the betterment of my country.

You live and work in the middle of Toronto: what could you say to a person in a rural county to persuade them to embrace the carbon tax?

There is no question that living in the city makes it easier for me to reduce my carbon footprint. I rely on my bike or the subway to get around. However, it is imperative that the government provide financial support to people in rural areas who rely on vehicles, especially farmers and rural businesses, during the transition to clean energy alternatives. Government must help offset any impacts felt by a rising carbon price, above what the rebate covers.

As vexing as a carbon price may seem to some in the short term, a carbon fee and rebate mechanism, like the one adopted by the federal government, will help farms in the long run. That includes incentivizing the development of electric farm vehicles, which will reduce fuel costs, and innovations such as biodigesters, offering farmers additional financial opportunities. Many farmers are already embracing sustainable practices that protect the soil. Not only is this a more affordable way to farm, but regenerative agriculture helps protect and sustain an important carbon sink. I am deeply grateful for farmers, who not only put food on our tables but are important players in helping to sequester carbon.

Resources

This Government of Canada site is full of clear information to help you understand how you benefit from the carbon tax and how it works: www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/pricing-pollution-how-it-will-work/ontario.html

If you still feel skeptical, you might try this link to a “conservative” case for carbon dividends courtesy of the Climate Leadership Council. This is a US think tank comprised of many long-time republicans! Wow! www.clcouncil.org/media/2017/03/The-Conservative-Case-for-Carbon-Dividends.pdf

Showing the Local Love for the Holidays! - theHumm November 2020

By Kris and Rob Riendeau

Here at theHumm we’re big on local economies. The retail and service businesses in the small towns that we cover play a huge role in the cultural life of those towns. Each store, restaurant, or small enterprise attracts and serves a particular clientele — some inside the community, some from outside. Some businesses host their own special events; others join together with local festivals to make the whole experience more vibrant. Many provide support in cash or in kind to local initiatives. ......

Learning to Love the Carbon Tax - theHumm November 2020