A Saint John-based energy think tank is applauding the provincial government’s climate change plan which diverts part of the tax you pay for gasoline towards funding climate change programs.
President of the Atlantica Centre for Energy Colleen Mitchell says raising the price of gas in New Brunswick won’t necessarily lead to us driving less because of a lack of existing transportation alternatives.
She says if some of the money collected through a redirected tax goes into mass transit, financial incentives for electric cars, and efficiency programs that’ll have a much better chance of reducing our emissions.
“We don’t have mass transit such as subways like Toronto and Montreal, so we really have to think about what initiatives can the government take that will actually reduce emissions, which is the end point,” says Mitchell.
“It’s not about how much money is collected, it’s how the money is spent.”
Mitchell says it’s apparent the government took a year to think it through and came up with what she calls a very well thought out plan that addresses the unique challenges that New Brunswick is facing. She believes they’ve done a good job with this initial effort and it will lead to emission reductions across the province.