In the past we've said to this committee and others, in many other years, that we just wanted government to take action on climate change and take a broad tool kit of regulatory and pricing models. We weren't specifically advocating whether it should be cap and trade, or carbon taxation, or other pricing models on that side of the ledger.
That being said, we do have some concerns in terms of cap and trade—at least as rolling out in Ontario and as part of the western climate initiative—in that the low-income impact is not being sufficiently recognized in that model. But it could be. In California it was recognized with a specific program. In many other jurisdictions it was recognized. There are some programs in the Ontario model that are directed at low-income sectors, such as having some of the funds that are collected be directed to social housing retrofits and so on. The alleviation of the impact itself is not provided for in the model as set up here in Ontario, and we think it should be.
We do think that some kind of specific recognition of the undue impact on low-income consumers, and an offset of that impact, should be provided for in any model going forward.