The Legislature’s Select Committee on Climate Change has arrived in Saint John as part of a provincial tour, where it will hear from both individuals and organizations on how best to deal with climate change.
Jim Irving, presenting on behalf of J.D.Irving, says energy is a huge cost for his company as they compete in the global marketplace.
He says the amount of electricity consumed at Irving Paper is about the same as the entire province of Prince Edward Island.
“Lots of countries can talk about the upside of having a lot of wind turbines and renewables, but we better be calculating the cost in energy intensive businesses,” Irving said. “Other business perhaps not as critical.”
Environmental groups took the microphone earlier in the day, including Liane Thibodeau, who spoke as a citizen but also serves at president of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
“There are going to be over the next 30 years over $7 trillion invested throughout the world in renewable energy projects and I think its important for us to start focusing some of our energies on accessing that kind of investment,” Thibodeau said.
Thibodeau argues the cost of renewable energy is going down, and fears New Brunswick will be left behind.
Committee member and Green Party Leader David Coon agrees.
“The Department of Energy no longer has a renewable energy branch or a green energy branch as most other provinces now have,” Coon said. “I think that’s a pretty good illustration of the lag that exists.”
The committee continues hearings in Saint John on Wednesday before wrapping up in Fredericton Thursday and Friday.