Calling on the Province to Phase-Out Gas-Fired Electricity Generation - By Councillor Jennifer McKelvie, seconded by Councillor Mike Layton

The Government of Ontario is planning to increase its reliance on gas-fired electricity to replace the output of the Pickering Nuclear Station (its operating licence expires on December 31, 2024) and to meet a rising demand for electricity. This plan will throw away more than a third of the greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions Ontario achieved by phasing-out its dirty coal-fired power plants. The increase in GHG pollution associated with gas-fired electricity will reduce the effectiveness of the City's climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. It will decrease the effectiveness of electrification programs including deep building retrofits and electric vehicle programs. Without GHG emission-free electrical generation, the City of Toronto cannot reach its climate goal of net zero. While COVID-19 has impacted the City of Toronto and the greater Province in tragic ways, it has also demonstrated that a reduction in the burning of fossil fuels has led to an improvement in our air quality. As we move towards restart and recovery from COVID-19, we need to do what we can now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in order to meet our net zero goals and build back better, greener and more resilient.