Well, back to work — blah. Actually, I’m glad to get back into the swing of things. The day started off with a meeting with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who visited the Toronto Star’s editorial board this morning to discuss details of his government’s new climate plan. A few key points:

* A commitment, which will be turned into a legal obligation, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province to 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2014 — similar to Kyoto’s target but two years later. Further reductions of 15 per cent below 1990s levels by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050. This is much more aggressive than the federal government’s plan, as well as the provincial Tory plan. And obviously, the short-term target will depend largely on the province’s ability to shut down its coal plants by 2014. McGuinty called it both ambitious and realistic. He also said it’s more aggressive than California’s targets, though what he didn’t account for is the fact that California has already gone much further than Ontario with energy conservation and emission reductions, so the comparison is unfair. Fact is, California has already picked more low-hanging fruit than Ontario.

* The plan includes a $17.5 billion investment in rapid transit over the next 12 years, which was announced last week. Tomorrow, a $650 million fund will be announced geared towards innovation, including a big emphasis on building the next-generation of “green” car and new clean energy technologies. In what amounts to a direct challenge to Detroit, McGuinty said he wants Ontario to be the “world centre of excellence for the next-generation of clean car.” I took him to task on this a bit, largely because he seems focused on biofuels and the use of plants to make car parts, both of which have nothing to do with automobile efficiency. Sure, they’re components of a “green” car but probably the least important ones. Lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles are a must as we head forward, and staying competitive with Japan and China won’t happen by simply making car bodies out of straw and fuel out of corn, especially if those vehicles are still big honkin’ SUVs. Efficiency standards are crucial, and this is where the McGuinty government is falling short of places like California.

* He said the province will push ahead with carbon cap and trade partnerships with U.S. states, but also argued that the federal government needs to move quickly to establish a domestic cap and trade system. Putting a price on carbon, presumably a high enough price, is crucial, he said. He also said we have to move away from the intensity-based targets that the federal government seems to depend on as a way of spinning the public.

* Looking at the short-term target, 44 per cent will come from the electricity sector. The next highest is under a category called “Research and Innovation,” which will account for 17 per cent of reduction by 2014. We asked McGuinty what this is exactly, and he said we have to have faith in new innovation to help us bridge the innovation gap that exists today. So, basically, 17 per cent of the province’s target is based on… well, nothing. It was a mistake to make this it’s own category, because presumably research and innovation will be a large part of what helps us achieve targets in other categories. On the home front, the province only expects 3 per cent of emission reductions to come from residences by 2014, and only 5 per cent by 2020. This is pathetically low for such a large contributor to the problem, and it shows this government’s lack of support for establishing net-zero energy homes and improving the efficiency of existing residences. We can certainly do more here, particularly by 2020.

* Asked how the province will pay for it, McGuinty said “We’re taking out a mortgage… and we’re going to pay it off over 50 years.” Fair enough… What’s lacking, however, is a calculation of the money savings that will come from improved efficiency, productivity, etc… He did say the cost of not acting on urban congestion is $100 billion if we do nothing, so obviously there’s a chance to save by spending. And while he also said there’s a “tremendous” economic opportunity in embracing green technologies and policies — “This is where the new jobs are coming from,” he said — there’s no quantification of the opportunity. This is essential if you want to convince the general public that it’s important to spend on a climate change plan. Yes, you take out a mortage, but if the value of your property triples over the next 50 years it’s worth it, right? How many jobs are on the line? What could this mean for productivity and GDP? We need more meat here.

* Finally, I spoke to McGuinty afterward about promoting clean technology companies in Ontario, and how there was too much fragmentation and not enough marketing of the province’s tremendous skills and technologies. He agreed that there needed to be more organization and a voice for the cleantech community here. He also said it’s crucial that the province focus its attention on four or five key areas it believes it can sell around the world, with one of these obviously being clean auto technologies. He hinted at his willingness to support any movement in this direction from the private sector.

Overall, not a bad plan. It needs some followup, some fine tuning, but it’s the best thing I’ve seen so far and definitely heading in the right direction.

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