Statement from the Ontario PC Environment Critic on the Liberals’ electric vehicle infrastructure announcement

The following is a statement from Ontario PC Environment and Cap-and-Trade Critic Lisa Thompson on the Liberals’ announcement regarding infrastructure for electric vehicles:

“The announcement today from the Environment and Transportation Ministers is nothing but another environmental photo-op.

“While the Liberals are busy parading for the cameras and patting themselves on the back, they continue to leave Ontarians in the dark on important issues, such as whether they will continue to be able to afford natural gas to heat their homes, or why the Liberals continue to sign costly green energy contracts that do nothing but drive up the cost of hydro.

“Most disturbing is that the Liberals are determined to move forward with projects that require funds from an unreliable cap-and-trade scheme that is proving to be a failure in other jurisdictions, such as California.

“The Premier has even admitted that the revenue from cap-and-trade might not reach the levels expected, yet they’ve written cheque after cheque, with no regard for the consequences.

“This is another instance of poorly planned spending. In 2015, electric vehicles captured just 1.5 per cent of Ontario’s passenger vehicle market. In the United States, plug-in electric vehicle sales declined seventeen per cent between 2014 and 2015. We need to allow consumer demand to drive innovation and development, not force it upon people.

“Enough is enough. This government continues to show just how out of touch they are with average Ontario families when there remains so many struggling to pay for the essentials. The Environment Minister needs to address the questions raised by Ontarians in response to the Liberals’ environmental policies, instead of posing for photo after photo.”