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Essex County growers want to stop cap and trade

Essex County greenhouse growers are calling for a deferral of the provincial government’s cap and trade program set to begin Jan. 1.

“This is going to devastate us as a company,” said Gerry Mastronardi, a Leamington greenhouse operator. “If they want Ontario to be fed by other countries, they’re going in the right direction.”

Mastronardi said he planned to double the size of his 16-acre greenhouse operation, but has now pulled back those plans. He’s looking at possibly expanding in Michigan, joining some of his colleagues in the greenhouse industry that have moved to Ohio and Michigan. “I’m going to be the next one. I’m going to shop for land in Michigan.”

The cap and trade plan works by setting a limit, or a cap, on the amount of pollutants a company is allowed to release into the atmosphere. The “trade” part of the plan creates a market for carbon allowances, so a company that is able to cut its pollution easily can end up with extra allowances and trade them to other companies.

Greenhouse growers say Ontario is the only province to push through with the legislation, making it difficult to compete with other provinces, let alone the U.S. marketplace. “They’ve created an un-level playing field with my neighbours,” Mastronardi said.

He estimates the carbon tax will cost him an additional $100,000 a year, starting Jan. 1. Any savings he has seen as a result of locking in lower natural gas prices will go directly towards the new carbon tax, he said.

Read more at the Windsor Star
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