Ontario to Go Coal-Free in Seven Years

The Ontario government set its climate targets Monday, promising to close the province’s coal plants and reduce emissions to below 1990 levels. Premier McGuinty said to reach the proposed targets, Ontario’s coal plants will shut down by 2014.

The premier estimated the closure of the plants will help to achieve 50 per cent of Ontario’s proposed levels. The remaining 50 per cent will come from transit initiatives, improved energy efficiency and technology that helps fight climate change. The premier boasted the province is building hundreds of wind turbines to the replace the plants and a massive new clean energy tunnel project in Niagara Falls.