Kinew leaves name off premiers’ ‘axe-the-tax’ letter; ‘enough with the flip-flops,’ Tory says

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/11/2023 (694 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew’s decision not to join five of his counterparts in a letter asking Ottawa for a carbon-tax exemption on all home-heating sources has a frustrated Progressive Conservative critic trying to keep up.

“Enough with the flip-flops,” Tory finance critic Obby Khan said Monday.

“I think it’s really unfortunate that (Kinew) didn’t sign the letter when last week he said he would support that at the (premiers’ Council of the Federation) conference, and the week before that he said he wouldn’t ask for an exemption.

“I think Manitobans really need to know where he stands on this — where he is planning on making life more affordable?”

Kinew’s voice was not among the chorus of calls accusing the federal government of playing regional politics after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a three-year pause on the carbon tax applied to home heating oil late last month. Atlantic Canada MPs had been asking for a reprieve to make it easier for residents in the region — about 30 per cent of homes are still heating with oil — to transition to electric heat pumps.

The announcement sparked anger elsewhere in the country, as Conservative premiers, along with Conservative and NDP MPs, demanded Trudeau “axe the tax” on all home-heating fuels.

When pressed on the issue at the premiers’ summit in Halifax Nov. 6, Kinew said he would ask for an exemption on natural gas, which is used by most Manitobans to heat their homes.

A joint statement issued by the premiers and territorial leaders after the meeting expressed concern “that federal actions around the federal carbon tax have treated Canadians differently.”

“Premiers are unanimous in calling on the prime minister to ensure that federal policies and programs are delivered in a fair and equitable way to all Canadians, particularly in light of the affordability challenges being faced across the country,” the statement said.

A spokesperson for Kinew said Monday that the NDP premier stands with all of his provincial and territorial colleagues, although he did not add his name to the correspondence signed last Friday by New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, all conservatives.

By “singling out Atlantic Canadians with this relief, it has caused divisions across the country,” and “all Canadians are equally valued and should be equally respected,” the letter says.

Khan (Fort Whyte) was looking for more clarity on Manitoba’s position.

“Tax exemptions on the carbon tax for some provinces over other provinces is not fair and not equitable and it’s not helping affordability for Manitobans,” he said. “Heating homes in Manitoba is not a luxury; we live in some of the coldest climate in Canada and Manitobans don’t have a choice.”

The head of business development for one of the largest installers of ground-source heat pumps in Western Canada, does not agree. Shaun Loney of Aki Energy said the disgruntled premiers are creating an “unfortunate diversion” while doing little to help their residents’ save money and the environment.

“The provinces that are making the most noise about the tax are the ones working least hard on getting people these affordable options,” said Loney, whose company —an Indigenous social enterprise — has installed ground-source heat pumps for 750 Manitoba homes that are “working awesome.”

Loney, a 2022 Winnipeg mayoral candidate, heats and cools his city home with a pump.

“It’s a far more profound conversation to talk about how we’re gonna get people off of fossil fuels and onto efficient renewables like air or ground-source heat pumps. That’s where the real cost savings are,” he said.

“I have a ground-source heat pump in our house in St. Boniface and we pay $120 a month and that covers all of our heating and cooling and the electricity we need for our car, which we use every day, so they’re also very economic, as well.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Jen Zoratti | Next

Wednesdays

What's next in arts, life and pop culture.

Sign up for Jen Zoratti | Next

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Loney said the system saves his family an estimated $100 a month compared to a natural gas system. “That’s a phenomenal savings and we need to get going on these systems,” said Loney, adding he’s concerned about new developments in Manitoba that are being built with natural gas infrastructure.

“Almost certainly that will be abandoned infrastructure at some point in the next 10 years because we just can’t keep burning fossil fuels,” he said.

The NDP government’s promise to install 5,000 ground-source heat pumps in Manitoba is a “significant step in the direction of affordability,” he said.

“I think industry is ready for the next step, but (until now) we haven’t had really the support of partners to really make this technology mainstream.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter

Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol.

Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.