Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce calls for suspension of cap-and-trade program

Fearing a loss of greenhouse companies and jobs to jurisdictions across the border, the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce has called for immediate suspension of the Ontario government’s “cap and trade” program.

“The greenhouses operate with a thin margin and this is making their ability to conduct business no longer feasible,” said Matt Marchand, the local chamber’s CEO.

Marchand has also requested that Premier Kathleen Wynne come to the Windsor area and visit local greenhouses to learn first-hand about the impact the new carbon tax has on the industry.

Because of escalating hydro costs that have gone up over 400 per cent in 10 years, Marchand suggested that this will quickly become the final straw that will drive business out of Ontario.

RELATED: Ontario greenhouse growers are pushing back against carbon tax

The government introduced cap and trade in a bid to fight climate change and reward businesses that reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It is an added cost on natural gas bills.

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