Efficiency Canada News Today

Pembina Institute report calls for $42 billion in spending to help low-income Canadians escape energy poverty while making their homes more efficient. 

A new report released by Efficiency Canada notes that voluntary measures used by individuals and some municipalities to reduce building emissions have been unsuccessful. It suggests a more effective approach would involve implementing mandatory building performance standards in combination with support from the federal government.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is overriding the province's independent energy regulator after it ruled late last year that the public shouldn't be subsidizing Enbridge's fossil fuel expansion plans as the climate crisis unfolds.

In this week's issue of our environment newsletter, we look at whether installing a heat pump is environmentally friendly in regions with a high-carbon grid and how Norway became a world leader in electric vehicle use.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government pledged to overturn a decision from the Ontario Energy Board on the basis it would make the costs of new homes too expensive. But is that really true?

“Given the current climate politically, I'm really surprised they didn't say: We're going to come through with more money for eco-energy retrofits,” Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told Canada’s National Observer in an interview at Parliament Hill.

Heat pumps are the hot new thing in home heating, with the promise to cut costs and cut carbon emissions. There are hundreds being installed in houses across northern Ontario this winter. But they don't fit into everyone's household budget. 

A bill to create more carbon price exemptions for farmers is in the home stretch in the Senate as the federal government faces sustained criticism for its decision to exempt home heating oil from the federal carbon pricing system.

In light of colder temperatures and recent debates over government-imposed pollution pricing, Canadians’ choices on how to stay warm and heat their homes have come to the forefront.

Affordability and climate are compounding, overlapping crises — and people are struggling with both. Individuals across Canada are tired of making trade-offs because, when it comes to life's necessities — housing, food, transportation and climate — there are none.