I spoke to the person in charge of the California Air Resources Board at the international conference had took place in Vancouver. I do not have all of the cost-benefit studies that they did, but according to what he told me, a dollar spent on clean technology, be it at the industrial level or by putting in place public transit systems in large cities in California, would systematically provide a return of three dollars in health benefits. So it is no longer a question of costs, but a question of benefits.
There is currently a lot of talk about improving the health of Canadians by reducing smog in the cities. In Montreal, 80% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by transportation. Those emissions must therefore be controlled. Toronto has the same problem. What is $10 billion over 10 years, when there is a 30-billion-dollar-return in health and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at the same time?
In my opinion, the equation is crystal clear.