Ontario Helping Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses in York Region Reduce Pollution
More Businesses Joining the Fight Against Climate Change

News.Ontario.ca
April 20, 2018

Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
 
Ontario is investing proceeds from its carbon market to help small- and medium-sized businesses reduce greenhouse gas pollution and join the fight against climate change.

Green Economy Canada (formerly Sustainability Co-Lab) supports small- and medium-sized businesses in seven communities across the province, including York Region, to set and achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets. Ontario's investment will help Green Economy Canada get more businesses involved in taking action to fight climate change and stimulate the low-carbon economy.

So far, Green Economy Canada has enlisted 243 businesses to join its network, resulting in 44,257 tonnes greenhouse gas emissions reduced — equivalent to taking 9,349 cars off the road for a year.

With the province's support, Green Economy Canada expects to nearly double the number of businesses participating in the program, and reduce a total of 94,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases by 2020. 

Helping businesses fight climate change is part of the government's plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, and 65 or over, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, and free preschool child care from 2 ½ to kindergarten.

Quick Facts

• Ontario is providing up to $2.55 million in multi-year funding to Green Economy Canada. The investment is in addition to $1 million in funding provided in 2016.
• Green Economy Canada works with community organizations to launch, grow and promote Green Economy Hubs across Canada. These hubs support networks of local businesses to set and achieve sustainability targets.
• Green Economy Canada has hubs in seven communities: Durham, Hamilton-Burlington, Kingston, Ottawa, Sudbury, Waterloo, and York region, with plans to expand to four additional communities by 2020.
• The Climate Change Action Plan and carbon market form the backbone of Ontario's strategy to cut greenhouse gas pollution to 15 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, 37 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050.

Additional Resources

• Climate Change Action Plan
• Ontario's cap and trade program
• Green Ontario Fund

Quotes

“It’s exciting to see small- and medium-sized businesses embrace actions that will help them reduce greenhouse gas pollution and become green economy leaders. This is the kind of leadership we need in Ontario to fight climate change and transition to the low-carbon economy.”
Chris Ballard
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change