My Remarks at City of Kitchener Council on Phasing Out Gas-Fired Electricity Generation
I’d like to start tonight with my thanks for Council’s support at Community & Infrastructure Services Committee last Monday of CSD-20-004 – Advancing the City’s work on equity, anti-racism, Indigenous initiatives and social justice issues. I deeply appreciate your recognition of what an important and timely opportunity this was to continue momentum built up by many in our community, particularly organizers at Land Back Camp, the African Caribbean and Black Network, and Black Lives Matter Waterloo Region. I also wanted to recognize staff for their leadership in recommending the Equity, Anti-Racism and Indigenous Initiatives team that was approved by Council.
A theme that I’m increasingly proud of this Council for, is that you are finding constructive ways to engage in big challenges.
Over a decade ago I was in front of Council sharing our community’s first climate change action plan. At that time, you unanimously supported both the plan and our community’s first climate target: climate change wasn’t seen as ‘too big of a problem’ to engage in.
Similarly, last week, anti-Black racism and Indigenous reconciliation weren’t seen as ‘too big of a problem’ to engage in.
Instead, you’ve recognizing the City has a critical role to play in these larger challenges, and I’m glad for that.
This is the case again tonight, and why I’m here to speak in support of Councillor Chapman’s motion.
This motion recognizes that multiple levels of government must work together to make progress on the big challenges our community faces.
Both economically and environmentally, phasing out gas-fired electricity generation is a no brainer.
And if the province were to do so, this would support local efforts the City has long been making to take action on climate change.
Economically: A one example, Hydro Quebec has offered the province hydro powered electricity on a firm 20yr contract at 5 cents per kwh. This is far below current rates, and would lead to lower electricity prices for residents. Cornwall is a great example. They have sourced their electricity from Quebec waterpower for the past 50 years, and today their average bills are more than 50% lower than Hamilton and Toronto.
Environmentally: Ontario’s current climate target of 30% by 2030 from 2005 levels is already lower than what IPCC scientists call for, and lower than the Paris Agreement. Increasing gas-fired electricity emissions makes it significantly more difficult for the province to even meet this already insufficient target, and is eroding gains made by the phase out of coal-fired electricity generation.
In contrast, this request to the Government of Ontario lines up with the City of Kitchener’s climate emergency declaration from last year. If the Government were to follow it, it would help the City meet it’s own 80x50 climate target set through ClimateActionWR by avoiding increases in our local emissions attributed to our electricity system.
I’m optimistic Council will support this motion, and I’m glad to answer questions Council might have about it.
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Note to reader: The proposed motion was passed unanimously by Council. The agenda with specific wording of the motion can be found here: https://lf.kitchener.ca/WebLinkExt/DocView.aspx?dbid=0&id=1879359&page=1&cr=1.
Excellent background research from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance can be found here: https://www.cleanairalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GAS_REPORT_FINAL_WEB_R.pdf
