“Net-Zero Tyranny”

The revolt isn’t popular. It’s ignored by establishment environmental groups. It’s harshly criticized by pro-renewable energy business and political leaders.

Nonetheless, the battle is on, a contest that now includes rural Albertans rising up against solar and wind developments.

“The battle in rural America and rural Canada is absolutely fierce,” American journalist and documentary filmmaker Robert Bryce told me in an interview. “These big wind and big solar companies are doing all they can to absolutely roll over small communities.”

As concerns about a scheduled increase to the federal carbon price grow, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says provinces are welcome to come up with their own policies, as long as the federal minimum pollution price is used.

His comments come as the Ontario Liberals are the latest provincial party to call for a change to the federal carbon price — with leader Bonnie Crombie saying a government she leads would not have a provincial carbon price similar to the federal model.

Thanks to wildfires, air quality in Canada is now worse than in the U.S., according to a new report.

Published Tuesday, the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report  found that air quality in Canada in 2023 was worse than in the U.S. for the first time in the report’s history.

Of the 15 most polluted cities in the two countries, 14 were in Canada, led by Fort McMurray and Peace River in Alberta. Others included Yellowknife, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Canmore, Alta.

Clearly we need more carbon tax.

Justin Trudeau wants you to know that life would be a lot worse without his carbon tax rebate. The Liberals are now selling the carbon tax, and the rebate that comes with it, as an affordability message, even though the carbon tax is part of what is making everything more expensive.

The Conservatives are calling for an emergency debate in the House of Commons on the Trudeau government’s scheduled increase of the federal carbon tax.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has written to House Speaker Greg Fergus requesting the debate, pointing to public opposition to the hike, set to take place on April 1.

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says provincial premiers who are calling on the government to scrap a planned increase on the carbon tax have their facts wrong.

In an interview airing Sunday on Rosemary Barton Live, Wilkinson defended the federal government’s landmark climate policy against a growing chorus of provincial leaders who hope to either delay or ditch altogether the impending April 1 increase.

“Based on the facts, the seven premiers are just wrong,” Wilkinson told guest host David Common.

Albertans receive far higher carbon tax rebates from Ottawa than any other Canadians.

A family of four will get $1,800 annually, up from $1,544 last year.

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In Ontario, this year’s benefit is $1,120.

Per capita, Albertans burn more fuel and emit more carbon than other Canadians.

That means higher levels of carbon tax — and more money back from what’s now called the Canada Carbon Rebate.

The Alberta government has released some details of where and how it will permit wind and solar development, prohibiting it along a broad stretch of the province’s western edge, assessing its visual impact in five other large areas and restricting it on agricultural land.

“Wind projects are no longer permitted in the buffer zones due to the impact of their vertical footprint,” said Affordability and Utilities ministry spokeswoman Ashley Stevenson.

“With agricultural lands, development is still permitted as long as the project can coexist with livestock or crops.”

In a passionate defence of his carbon tax this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed he either doesn’t understand his climate change plan, or he’s just gaslighting Canadians.