EDMONTON – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has met with Premier Rachel Notley in Edmonton and is praising Notley’s climate change plan.
Wynne says Notley’s blueprint to reduce Alberta’s carbon footprint gives the province more social licence to pitch for more energy infrastructure such as pipelines.
Wynne says Alberta’s actions also benefit the rest of the country as it wrestles with issues surrounding environmentally responsible development.
Wynne made the comments in a joint news conference with Notley. The premiers also announced a plan to pursue joint initiatives in areas such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ramping up renewable energy use.
“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a challenge shared by all provinces and, by working together, we can advance clean technology, diversity our respective economies and create good jobs,” Notley said.
Notley’s government is implementing a climate plan that includes a broad-based carbon tax, a cap on oilsands emissions and the phase out of coal-fired electricity.
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Wynne said it’s easier for Ontario to support projects like the Energy East pipeline because of the work Alberta is doing on reducing its environmental impact.
“It convinces me that this conversation which is a national conversation is a much easier one because of the work that Alberta is doing, absolutely.”
Wynne and Notley met in Toronto in January to discuss issues, such as action on climate change, the Canadian Energy Strategy and the proposed Energy East pipeline.
Following that meeting, the Ontario premier expressed that she sided with Alberta’s environmental and energy strategy.
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“We have to understand that there are environmental concerns, and you know the changes that Premier Notley’s government has made now make that conversation much easier,” Wynne said.
With files from Slav Kornik, Global News
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