By Vanessa Lu, The Toronto Star.
Ontario is being urged to phase in its new carbon pricing program to give consumers and small businesses a chance to adjust to higher natural gas costs.
Under the cap-and-trade system that the province is joining with California and Quebec in 2017, Ontario expects to generate $1.9 billion next year, up from initial estimates of $1.3 billion.
“Our concern is it is households and small businesses that will bear most of that cost,” said Tanya Mushynski, general manager of cap-and-trade and legal issues for Union Gas, which has 1.4 million customers across Ontario.