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Ontario edges B.C. in green-energy fight
January 20, 2010
Justine Hunter, The Globe and Mail
Ontario has leapfrogged British Columbia as the go-to jurisdiction for green-energy investments, with its promise of generous long-term energy contracts that include a guaranteed revenue stream for solar, wind and other alternative power projects.
It’s just the beginning of a battle between the provinces as they vie to attract billions of dollars in investment and jobs in this burgeoning sector.
“I think Ontario and B.C. are definitely going at it; it’s a good fight,” said Michel Letellier, president and CEO of Innergex Renewable Energy Inc., whose Quebec-based firm has operations in B.C. and Ontario, giving him a ringside seat.
However, he said, right now, “Ontario is probably the hottest market in Canada.”
Ontario’s larger market and its new competitive subsidy program gives that province the edge, he said.
But the B.C. government is manoeuvring to recapture the lead by unveiling policies in the next few weeks to establish the province as a “green-energy powerhouse.”
