Ottawa Think-Tank Calls B.C.'s Carbon Tax Canada's "Most Effective"

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onApr 30, 2009 @ 11:03 PDT

British Columbia has the best carbon pricing scheme in Canada. Thatโ€™s the conclusion of a national survey and analysis of climate policies compiled by Sustainable Prosperity, a progressive think tank based at the Univeristy of Ottawa.

According to a Globe and Mail report, the authors of the study invested a year speaking with top economic, business and environment leaders across the country before identifying eight key principles of a carbon pricing planโ€”think tranparency, reach, simplicity, and so on. The group then applied those principals to score Canadaโ€™s existing carbon laws and proposals. B.C.โ€™s carbon tax, introduced a year ago, scored an 87. It fell short in the areas of national reach and long-termย impact.

The group also informally examined the limited cap-and-trade policy that B.C.โ€™s New Democratic Party is presently campaigning on. Sustainable Prosperityโ€™s carbon-pricing director told the Globe that her groupโ€™s โ€œscore card would rate [it] as the weakest policy in Canada.โ€ With few details of that plan yet available, the group was only able to conduct a back-of-the-envelope analysis. It was enough, though, to suggest that New Democratโ€™s plan would introduce โ€œhuge instability and doubtโ€ to theย market.

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I work with Clean Energy Canada at Tides Canada to help accelerate Canadaโ€™s transition to an energy-efficient, ecologically responsible, and prosperous low-carbonย economy.

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