Attention News Editors: The Conservation Council’s Dr. Louise Comeau, Co-interim Executive Director, issued the following statement today with respect to the changes Premier Higgs announced to the provincial carbon-pricing system. The Premier has informed the Government of Canada that it wants the federal carbon-pricing backstop to apply to New Brunswick consumers to bring our province in line with other Atlantic provinces. Based on the experience in N.S. and P.E.I., N.B. households could receive approximately $900/year. Dr. Comeau is available for interviews.
“Today’s provincial carbon-pricing announcement means households will receive quarterly cheques to help adjust to higher energy costs, which are only partly due to carbon pricing. The Conservation Council encourages citizens to use their quarterly federal Climate Action Incentive payment to invest in home energy efficiency upgrades such as installing a heat pump, efficient appliances, and better insulation.”
The Conservation Council applauds the decision to maintain programs to help citizens and businesses shift away from using fossil fuels. The province needs to expand those initiatives. The Climate Action Incentive can help households cover some of the costs associated with accessing NB Power program incentives, but these programs are too small to reach all the households that need them.
Like we told the Energy and Utilities Board last month and legislators at the standing committee hearings this week: leaders need an aggressive plan to help more than 110,000 low-to-moderate income New Brunswickers retrofit their homes over the next five years.
New Brunswick’s updated climate plan has good goals and clear timelines. Fulfilling it will require sustained public investment in programs to help people retrofit their homes and apartments and access electric vehicles or alternative low-carbon transportation.
New Brunswickers can use the Conservation Council’s energy affordability fact sheet to see what provincial programs are currently offered to help them save money and use less energy.”
Links
- Read the Government of New Brunswick’s press release here.
- New Brunswick needs a clean electricity strategy: Conservation Council’s presentation on small modular nuclear reactors to the standing committee on climate change and environmental stewardship, Feb. 15, 2023.
- Conservation Council’s submission to the Energy and Utilities Board re: NB Power’s general rate increase proposal, Jan. 30, 2023.
- Conservation Council’s energy poverty fact sheet with resource list for citizens.
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To arrange an interview, contact:
Jon MacNeill, communications director | jon.macneill@conservationcouncil.ca | 506-238-3539