ATHABASCA – Much has been made of the federal government’s Oct. 26 announcement to put a three-year pause on the carbon price for home heating oil, provincial leaders from the prairies have all spoken out against what they say is a biased program.
Athabasca County will be adding its voice to the cacophony of criticism after councillors voted 9-0 in favour of a motion to send a letter to, among others, MLAs Glenn van Dijken and Brian Jean, Premier Danielle Smith, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“We have a situation where things are being applied unequally across the country, and I think that’s unreasonable,” said Reeve Brian Hall. “Either we’re all in it together or we’re not.”
Councillors had initially discussed the issue during a Nov. 2 budget and finance meeting where they voted 7-1 in favour of a motion to bring it to the council meeting, with Coun. Joe Gerlach opposed and Coun. Gary Cromwell absent.
“The East has been given some grace with regards to the carbon tax, and I’m wondering if that’s something that we can start jumping on board as well, to request the same treatment. Heating is something that everybody needs, and the carbon tax isn’t cheap,” said Coun. Tracy Holland during the budget meeting.
Federally, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre put forward a non-binding motion Nov. 1 to extend the pause across the board, which was defeated despite support from the federal NDP party — currently only homes that use heating oil, popular in Atlantic Canada, are covered.
Statistics Canada doesn’t have data on how many Albertans heat their homes with heating oil, but it does track how common it is across the country— three per cent of households rely on the method nationally, including one in three in Nova Scotia.
“I believe we’re witnessing a situation that largely favours one group of people in (the) federation over another,” said Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken. “If we’re going to be putting forward taxation, it needs to treat everyone fairly.”
Conversely, Stats Canada said in 2021, 82 per cent of Albertans use a forced air furnace as their primary heating method, the majority of which is powered through natural gas.
“There’s a little irony there in the fact that heating oil isn’t as clean burning as natural gas,” said Gerlach during the Nov. 14 meeting. “You’ve got to heat your homes in the wintertime.”
“It’s extremely important that we voice our concern to the federal government about the choice they made to allow some provinces a break on their carbon taxes,” said Holland.
Hall said council is exercising its advocacy obligations, and making sure residents have their voices heard.
“Our job is to advocate for the region, and to speak up when something inequitable is happening,” said Hall. “Our job is to be a source of information for the other levels of government. If we can provide them feedback on how their decisions are impacting people in our area, we need to speak up on (the ratepayers) behalf.”
Councillors highlighted that heating is a universal issue, regardless of political affiliation; as Coun. Ashtin Anderson said, it’s just another form of advocacy.
“If (the letter) is written correctly, it doesn’t need to be partisan, or in favour of a specific political party — it’s advocating for our residents, we understand that their costs for home heating are a necessity here,” said Anderson. “We need to make sure that we’re doing what we can. A letter probably won’t change everything, but at least we’re voicing our support.”
