The program was suspended in advance because it was supposed to end in 2011. In the 2011 budget, the government decided to extend the program and set a target of 250,000 Canadian homes to be renovated for energy savings.
The program was launched in July. At the department, we obviously have to manage the program carefully and ensure that we are able to respond to future requests. Over 250,000 Canadians registered through the department’s website. In theory, everyone is eligible for a grant of up to $5,000. Of course, those 250,000 people are not going to be getting the maximum amount overnight.
As public servants, we have to do the math to see how many of the 250,000 registered people will do the pre-retrofit review and complete the renovations by March 31, and submit their claims afterwards.
It is very difficult, because a number of parameters have to be taken into account. We cannot afford to run over the proposed budget. As officials, we also couldn’t afford to tell the Minister to continue a program beyond a deadline when we could not be sure whether we would have the necessary funding, given the uncertainty of the parameters. So we have made a balanced decision by recommending that we stop at 250,000 registrations.