Ottawa greenhouse grower SunTech Greenhouses is about to shut off its million-dollar LED lighting system this winter over hydro costs.
Two years ago, Suntech installed the LED lighting system to grow produce year round. After doing the math, owner Bob Mitchell recently told CTV News that he has decided not to flip the switch.
Mitchell explained to CTV News that he can not afford the LEDs anymore as a result of several reasons.
One of them is the Trump administration’s tough talk on blocking imports from Mexico, which has led to a drop in the value of the peso, making imports from that country much cheaper on the shelves in Canada.
Then, January 1st, the Ontario government introduced its cap-and-trade system to fight climate change. Mitchell says this added about $6,200 to his natural gas bill in 29 days, and, he says, it's pricing local greenhouse tomatoes out of the market.
Click here for the complete article with Bob Mitchell. It also features a comment from Nature Fresh owner Pete Quiring and Justine Taylor of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers.
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