It's Climate Change I tell'ya!! IT'S CLIMATE CHANGE!!

[spaminator]

Canadians oppose Liberal 2035 prohibition of new gas, diesel vehicles
Canada is set to outlaw new gas and diesel powered passenger vehicle sales by 2035

Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Apr 23, 2025 • 2 minute read

Despite the Liberals going all-in on a government-mandated internal combustion engine ban, recent polling shows Canadians are not on board.
Despite the Liberals going all-in on a government-mandated internal combustion engine ban, recent polling shows Canadians are not on board.
OTTAWA — Despite the Liberals going all-in on a government-mandated internal combustion engine ban, recent polling shows Canadians are not on board.


In a Leger poll commissioned by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, 54% say they’re against the planned national ban on the sale of new gas and diesel vehicles by 2035.

Thirty-six per cent say they’re in favour, while 10% said they didn’t know.

“This ban means taxpayers will foot the bill for charging stations, grid upgrades and massive subsidies,” said Carson Binda, the federation’s B.C. director.

“Canadians deserve clarity from every party. Will they back a costly mandate or will they respect taxpayers and protect Canadians’ freedom to choose their own vehicles?”

Earlier this year, Transport Canada abruptly ended its Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program after it ran out of money.

The end of that program came just 12 months before the start of the Trudeau Liberals’ multi-year EV sales mandate, where 20% of all new Canadian car sales must be zero-emission.



That figure is mandated to reach 100% by 2035, effectively outlawing the sale of cars and trucks equipped with internal-combustion engines.

Canada’s auto industry has also called for an end to the ZEV mandates, citing unrealistic government expectations and a lack of funding for a nation-wide roll-out of charging infrastructure.

“It should be obvious to everyone now that provincial and federally mandated zero emission sales targets are no longer ambitious, but a complete fantasy,” said Brian Kingston, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA) at a Parliament Hill news conference earlier this year.

Opposition to the engine ban was spread pretty evenly across Canada, but was highest (68%) in Alberta and lowest (55%) in Quebec.

The poll was conducted between April 11 and 13 among 1,630 adult Canadians via Leger’s online panel.

As margins-of-error don’t apply to polls conducted via online panels, a comparable sample size would yield a margin ±2.4%, 19 times out of 20.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume

Canadians oppose Liberal 2035 prohibition of new gas, diesel vehicles

Canada is set to outlaw new gas and diesel powered passenger vehicle sales by 2035

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Audrey Mcavoy
Published Apr 30, 2025 • 4 minute read

HONOLULU — In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations and earmark the new money for programs to cope with a warming planet.


State leaders say they’ll use the funds for projects like replenishing sand on eroding beaches, helping homeowners install hurricane clips on their roofs and removing invasive grasses like those that fueled the deadly wildfire that destroyed Lahaina two years ago.

A bill scheduled for House and Senate votes this week _ initially scheduled for Wednesday but moved to Friday — would add an additional 0.75% to the daily room rate tax starting Jan. 1. It’s all but certain to pass given Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers and party leaders have agreed on the measure. Gov. Josh Green has said he would sign it into law.

Officials estimate the increase would generate $100 million in new revenue annually.

“We had a $13 billion tragedy in Maui and we lost 102 people. These kind of dollars will help us prevent that next disaster,” Green said in an interview.


Green said Hawaii was the first state in the nation to do something along these lines. Andrey Yushkov, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, said he was unaware of any other state that has set aside lodging tax revenue for the purposes of environmental protection or climate change.

Adding to an already hefty tax

The increase will add to what is already a relatively large duty on short-term stays. The state’s existing 10.25% tax on daily room rates would climb to 11%. In addition, Hawaii’s counties each add their own 3% surcharge and the state and counties impose a combined 4.712% general excise tax on goods and services including hotel rooms. Together, that will make for a tax rate of nearly 19%.

The only large U.S. cities that have higher cumulative state and local lodging tax rates are Omaha, Nebraska, at 20.5%, and Cincinnati, at 19.3%, according to a 2024 report by HVS, a global hospitality consulting firm.


The governor has long said the 10 million visitors who come to Hawaii each year should help the state’s 1.4 million residents protect the environment.

Green believes travellers will be willing to pay the increased tax because doing so will enable Hawaii to “keep the beaches perfect” and preserve favourite spots like Maui’s road to Hana and the coastline along Oahu’s North Shore. After the Maui wildfire, Green said he heard from thousands of people across the country asking how they could help. This is a significant way they can, he said.

Hotel industry has mixed feelings

Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, which represents the state’s hotel operators, said the industry was pleased lawmakers didn’t adopt a higher increase that was initially proposed.

“I don’t think that there’s anybody in the tourism industry that says, ‘Well, let’s go out and tax more.’ No one wants to see that,” Gibson said. “But our state, at the same time, needs money.”


The silver lining, Gibson said, is that the money is supposed to beautify Hawaii’s environment. It will be worth it if that’s the case, he said.

Hawaii has long struggled to pay for the vast environmental and conservation needs of the islands, ranging from protecting coral reefs to weeding invasive plants to making sure tourists don’t harass wildlife, such as Hawaiian monk seals. The state must also maintain a large network of trails, many of which have heavier foot traffic as more travellers choose to hike on vacation.

Two years ago, lawmakers considered requiring tourists to pay for a yearlong license or pass to visit state parks and trails. Green wanted to have all visitors pay a $50 fee to enter the state, an idea lawmakers said would violate U.S. constitutional protections for free travel.

Boosting the lodging tax is their compromise solution, one made more urgent by the Maui wildfires.


A large funding gap

An advocacy group, Care for Aina Now, calculated a $561 million gap between Hawaii’s conservation funding needs and money spent each year.

Green acknowledged the revenue from the tax increase falls short of this, but said the state would issue bonds to leverage the money it raises. Most of the $100 million would go toward measures that can be handled in a one-to-two year time frame, while $10 to $15 million of it would pay for bonds supporting long-term infrastructure projects.

Kāwika Riley, a member of the governor’s Climate Advisory Team, pointed to the Hawaiian saying, “A stranger only for a day,” to explain the new tax. The adage means that a visitor should help with the work after the first day of being a guest.

“Nobody is saying that literally our visitors have to come here and start working for us. But what we are saying is that it’s important to be part of the solution,” Riley said. “It’s important to be part of caring for the things you love.”

Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change

In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals

torontosun.com

 

[spaminator]

Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Audrey Mcavoy
Published Apr 30, 2025 • 4 minute read

HONOLULU — In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations and earmark the new money for programs to cope with a warming planet.


State leaders say they’ll use the funds for projects like replenishing sand on eroding beaches, helping homeowners install hurricane clips on their roofs and removing invasive grasses like those that fueled the deadly wildfire that destroyed Lahaina two years ago.

A bill scheduled for House and Senate votes this week _ initially scheduled for Wednesday but moved to Friday — would add an additional 0.75% to the daily room rate tax starting Jan. 1. It’s all but certain to pass given Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers and party leaders have agreed on the measure. Gov. Josh Green has said he would sign it into law.

Officials estimate the increase would generate $100 million in new revenue annually.

“We had a $13 billion tragedy in Maui and we lost 102 people. These kind of dollars will help us prevent that next disaster,” Green said in an interview.


Green said Hawaii was the first state in the nation to do something along these lines. Andrey Yushkov, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, said he was unaware of any other state that has set aside lodging tax revenue for the purposes of environmental protection or climate change.

Adding to an already hefty tax

The increase will add to what is already a relatively large duty on short-term stays. The state’s existing 10.25% tax on daily room rates would climb to 11%. In addition, Hawaii’s counties each add their own 3% surcharge and the state and counties impose a combined 4.712% general excise tax on goods and services including hotel rooms. Together, that will make for a tax rate of nearly 19%.

The only large U.S. cities that have higher cumulative state and local lodging tax rates are Omaha, Nebraska, at 20.5%, and Cincinnati, at 19.3%, according to a 2024 report by HVS, a global hospitality consulting firm.


The governor has long said the 10 million visitors who come to Hawaii each year should help the state’s 1.4 million residents protect the environment.

Green believes travellers will be willing to pay the increased tax because doing so will enable Hawaii to “keep the beaches perfect” and preserve favourite spots like Maui’s road to Hana and the coastline along Oahu’s North Shore. After the Maui wildfire, Green said he heard from thousands of people across the country asking how they could help. This is a significant way they can, he said.

Hotel industry has mixed feelings

Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, which represents the state’s hotel operators, said the industry was pleased lawmakers didn’t adopt a higher increase that was initially proposed.

“I don’t think that there’s anybody in the tourism industry that says, ‘Well, let’s go out and tax more.’ No one wants to see that,” Gibson said. “But our state, at the same time, needs money.”


The silver lining, Gibson said, is that the money is supposed to beautify Hawaii’s environment. It will be worth it if that’s the case, he said.

Hawaii has long struggled to pay for the vast environmental and conservation needs of the islands, ranging from protecting coral reefs to weeding invasive plants to making sure tourists don’t harass wildlife, such as Hawaiian monk seals. The state must also maintain a large network of trails, many of which have heavier foot traffic as more travellers choose to hike on vacation.

Two years ago, lawmakers considered requiring tourists to pay for a yearlong license or pass to visit state parks and trails. Green wanted to have all visitors pay a $50 fee to enter the state, an idea lawmakers said would violate U.S. constitutional protections for free travel.

Boosting the lodging tax is their compromise solution, one made more urgent by the Maui wildfires.


A large funding gap

An advocacy group, Care for Aina Now, calculated a $561 million gap between Hawaii’s conservation funding needs and money spent each year.

Green acknowledged the revenue from the tax increase falls short of this, but said the state would issue bonds to leverage the money it raises. Most of the $100 million would go toward measures that can be handled in a one-to-two year time frame, while $10 to $15 million of it would pay for bonds supporting long-term infrastructure projects.

Kāwika Riley, a member of the governor’s Climate Advisory Team, pointed to the Hawaiian saying, “A stranger only for a day,” to explain the new tax. The adage means that a visitor should help with the work after the first day of being a guest.

“Nobody is saying that literally our visitors have to come here and start working for us. But what we are saying is that it’s important to be part of the solution,” Riley said. “It’s important to be part of caring for the things you love.”

Hawaii plans to increase hotel tax to help it cope with climate change

In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals

torontosun.com

Hawaii lawmakers raise state’s hotel tax to help islands cope with climate change
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Audrey Mcavoy
Published May 02, 2025 • 3 minute read

HONOLULU — Hawaii lawmakers passed on Friday first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state’s lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against climate change-fueled natural disasters.


Gov. Josh Green supports the bill, indicating he will sign it. The bill adds a 0.75% levy to the state’s existing tax on hotel rooms, timeshares, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations. It also imposes a new 11% tax on cruise ship bills, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports.

Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually. They say the money will be used for projects like replenishing sand on eroding Waikiki beaches, promoting the use of hurricane clips to secure roofs during powerful storms and clearing flammable invasive grasses like those that fed the deadly wildfire that destroyed downtown Lahaina in 2023.

The House and Senate, both controlled by large majorities of Democrats, both passed the measure Friday.

Experts say this is the nation’s first state lodging tax that raises money for the environment and coping with climate change.


Hawaii already levies a 10.25% tax on short-term rentals. As of Jan. 1, the tax will rise to 11%. Hawaii’s counties separately charge a 3% lodging tax, and travellers also have to pay the 4.712% general excise tax that applies to all virtually all goods and services. The cumulative tax bill at checkout will climb to 18.712%, among the highest in the nation.

Green said people have told him the increase is small enough people won’t notice. He observed many people come to Hawaii to enjoy the environment and predicted they will welcome committing dollars to protect shorelines and communities.

“The more you cultivate good environmental policy, and the more you invest in perfecting our lived space, the more likely it is we’re going to have actually lifelong, committed travellers to Hawaii,” he said in an interview.

Only funds raised by the 0.75% addition and the new tax on cruise ship stays will go exclusively toward natural resources and climate change. Revenue from existing state lodging taxes would continue to flow into state’s general fund and to help pay for the construction of Honolulu’s rail line.


John Pele, the executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, said there’s broad agreement that the money raised will go to a good cause. But he wonders if Hawaii will become too expensive for visitors.

“Will we be taxing on tourists out of wanting to come here?” he said. “That remains to be seen.”

The first draft of the legislation called for a larger increase, but lawmakers pared it back.

“We heard the concerns about how do we make sure that we are able to sustain our industry as well as find new resources to address the needs for environmental sustainability,” said Democratic Rep. Linda Ichiyama, vice speaker of the House. “So it was a balance.”

Zane Edleman, a visitor from Chicago, said he could envision the extra cost prompting some travellers to head elsewhere else like Florida. But he said it would depend on how the state shares information about what it does with the money.

“If you really focus on the point _this is to save the climate and actually have proof that this is where the funds are going, and that there’s an actual result that’s happening from that, I think people could buy into it,” Edleman said.

Hawaii lawmakers raise state’s hotel tax to help islands cope with climate change

Hawaii lawmakers passed first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state's lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection

torontosun.com

 

[Taxslave2]

Hawaii lawmakers raise state’s hotel tax to help islands cope with climate change
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Audrey Mcavoy
Published May 02, 2025 • 3 minute read

HONOLULU — Hawaii lawmakers passed on Friday first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state’s lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against climate change-fueled natural disasters.


Gov. Josh Green supports the bill, indicating he will sign it. The bill adds a 0.75% levy to the state’s existing tax on hotel rooms, timeshares, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations. It also imposes a new 11% tax on cruise ship bills, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports.

Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually. They say the money will be used for projects like replenishing sand on eroding Waikiki beaches, promoting the use of hurricane clips to secure roofs during powerful storms and clearing flammable invasive grasses like those that fed the deadly wildfire that destroyed downtown Lahaina in 2023.

The House and Senate, both controlled by large majorities of Democrats, both passed the measure Friday.

Experts say this is the nation’s first state lodging tax that raises money for the environment and coping with climate change.


Hawaii already levies a 10.25% tax on short-term rentals. As of Jan. 1, the tax will rise to 11%. Hawaii’s counties separately charge a 3% lodging tax, and travellers also have to pay the 4.712% general excise tax that applies to all virtually all goods and services. The cumulative tax bill at checkout will climb to 18.712%, among the highest in the nation.

Green said people have told him the increase is small enough people won’t notice. He observed many people come to Hawaii to enjoy the environment and predicted they will welcome committing dollars to protect shorelines and communities.

“The more you cultivate good environmental policy, and the more you invest in perfecting our lived space, the more likely it is we’re going to have actually lifelong, committed travellers to Hawaii,” he said in an interview.

Only funds raised by the 0.75% addition and the new tax on cruise ship stays will go exclusively toward natural resources and climate change. Revenue from existing state lodging taxes would continue to flow into state’s general fund and to help pay for the construction of Honolulu’s rail line.


John Pele, the executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, said there’s broad agreement that the money raised will go to a good cause. But he wonders if Hawaii will become too expensive for visitors.

“Will we be taxing on tourists out of wanting to come here?” he said. “That remains to be seen.”

The first draft of the legislation called for a larger increase, but lawmakers pared it back.

“We heard the concerns about how do we make sure that we are able to sustain our industry as well as find new resources to address the needs for environmental sustainability,” said Democratic Rep. Linda Ichiyama, vice speaker of the House. “So it was a balance.”

Zane Edleman, a visitor from Chicago, said he could envision the extra cost prompting some travellers to head elsewhere else like Florida. But he said it would depend on how the state shares information about what it does with the money.

“If you really focus on the point _this is to save the climate and actually have proof that this is where the funds are going, and that there’s an actual result that’s happening from that, I think people could buy into it,” Edleman said.

Hawaii lawmakers raise state’s hotel tax to help islands cope with climate change

Hawaii lawmakers passed first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state's lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection

torontosun.com

Makes sense, sort of. It is tourism that causes all the problems.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Makes sense, sort of. It is tourism that causes all the problems.

Hotel taxes in the U.S. vary from 14% to 22% that I know of.

Makes sense because the people paying the tax don't vote in the jurisdiction.

 

[petros]

Makes sense, sort of. It is tourism that causes all the problems.

Hotel taxes in the U.S. vary from 14% to 22% that I know of.

Makes sense because the people paying the tax don't vote in the jurisdiction.

By far the best way to do Hawaii is camping at State Parks. It's almost free.

 

[spaminator]

Ontario electricity produced with rising percentage of greenhouse-gas-emitting power
The percentage of natural gas generation has been increasing over the past several years

Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Allison Jones
Published May 14, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read

A compressor station is shown on Lakeshore Road 309 in Windsor.on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
A compressor station is shown on Lakeshore Road 309 in Windsor.on Tuesday, November 30, 2021.
Ontario’s electricity is now being produced with the highest percentage of greenhouse-gas-emitting power since coal plants were operating in the province.


The Independent Electricity System Operator recently posted its 2024 year in review, which contains a breakdown of how much electricity was produced from various sources.

It shows that last year 16 per cent of the electricity in Ontario’s grid was produced by natural gas, making it 84 per cent emissions free — down from 87 per cent the year before and down from a high of 96 per cent in 2017.

The last time Ontario’s electricity was produced with at least 16 per cent of emitting power was in 2012, when the province still had coal-fired generation.

Nuclear led the way in 2024, with 51 per cent of Ontario’s electricity generated by those plants, and about 24 per cent came from hydro power.

The percentage of natural gas generation in Ontario’s electricity system has been increasing over the past several years. The IESO says gas provides more flexibility than many other sources, and more is being used while some nuclear units undergo refurbishments so the system remains stable.


“Outages to nuclear generation from this work combined with reduced supply from imports also resulted in gas generation’s higher contribution to overall output in 2024,” the IESO said in its report.

Alienor Rougeot, climate and energy senior program manager at Environmental Defence, said the need to resort to gas to fill in the gaps was preventable if Ontario had acted sooner to boost renewable energy and battery storage.

“I think this is one of those key moments that is extremely upsetting and yet super predictable, which is that the energy planning and the poor decisions that get made five, eight years prior to that now are starting to show up in those supply mixes,” she said.

Premier Doug Ford cancelled 750 renewable energy contracts shortly after his Progressive Conservatives formed government in 2018, after the former Liberal government had faced widespread anger over long-term contracts with clean power producers at above-market rates.


The IESO had been set in 2023 to seek out non-emitting electricity generation to bring more capacity into the system but after Energy Minister Stephen Lecce came into the portfolio in 2024, he announced the procurement would be “technology agnostic.” Critics said that not only opens the door to natural gas but may favour bringing more of it online.

Lecce said the rise in non-emitting electricity generation is “entirely predictable” due to the ongoing nuclear refurbishments.

“Having said that, we’re actually going to have a greener, cleaner grid, getting down to below 99 per cent non-emitting by 2050,” he said.

“So this is part of the journey as we take our non-emitting nuclear units off the grid, because they need to get refurbished for another 40, 50 years.”


The government often touts Ontario’s clean electricity grid as a top selling point when attracting businesses and investment to the province, and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said he’s not sure that at 84 per cent clean it is as attractive as it once was.

“I’m deeply concerned that our grid has gotten 12 per cent dirtier over the last few years, especially when the government itself says that one of the competitive advantages Ontario has in attracting global capital investment is our clean grid,” he said.

“The Ford government is losing that advantage at a time we need to be attracting capital more now than ever.”

Lecce said the electricity grid is still a good selling feature and will only get better.

“When we’re getting to near 99 per cent, it’s an incredible achievement that no industrialized economy can point to,” he said.


“We’re very proud of the fact that we have one of the cleanest grids today. We’ll have an even cleaner grid tomorrow as we get our nuclear fleets back.”

In addition to ongoing and planned refurbishments of units at the province’s large-scale nuclear plants, construction on the first of four small modular reactors is set to begin this year.

The $21-billion project for the four reactors is expected to produce enough power for 1.2 million homes.

Stephen Thomas, clean energy manager at the David Suzuki Foundation, said that small modular reactors are one of the most expensive generation options. But natural gas can also be expensive, and the province should be looking more at renewables, he said.

“We think wind and solar are ready for prime time,” he said.

“As we look to the future, we only see the cost of wind, solar and storage coming down over time, and we see the opposite for natural gas. The cost of natural gas is hugely volatile, and it’s hard to depend on what the spot price of natural gas might be in 10 years or 20 years.”

Ontario electricity produced with rising percentage of greenhouse-gas-emitting power

Last year, 16 per cent of the electricity in Ontario's grid was produced by natural gas, making it 84 per cent emissions free

torontosun.com

 

[Taxslave2]

Itf they had just kept burning coal, instead of building unreliable and high prices wind and solar projects life would be fine.