House passes bill to exempt farmers from paying carbon tax
The cost of drying corn and heating pig barns should be coming down this fall across Canada.
“Really it’s unethical, in my opinion, to charge a carbon tax to a farmer who is making food, who is producing food, for us,” said Huron Bruce MP Ben Lobb.
Lobb’s private members bill exempting Canadian farmers from the carbon tax on natural gas and propane they use to dry crops and heat livestock barns has passed through the House.
Farmers are already exempt in their gas and diesel use to plant and harvest crops. So, these additions should mean savings for farmers who are paying thousands of dollars in carbon tax each month to run their farming operations.
“Realistically, it adds up to many thousands of dollars on all the farms across the province. It’s all food production, right? Everything from drying grain to livestock too, with the heating exemption. It’s going to make a difference on farm costs,” said Stratford, Ont. area grain producer, Josh Boersen.
In 2020, Boersen was paying $1,900 per month just in carbon tax to dry his grain crops. Grain Farmers of Ontario said the carbon tax would cost the average grain farmer another $36,800, just in drying costs, by 2030.
“The carbon tax is going up again on April 1st. Every year with these escalating costs, it’s nice to see that there may be some relief on the horizon,” said Boersen.
However, it won’t come this spring.
Lobb is confident the Senate will pass his amendment to the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, sooner rather than later.
“Sooner in parliamentary terms is a lot different than sooner, in farm terms. But, I think you could say in the next six to eight months there will be a final vote on the bill,” said Lobb.
Until then, Boersen will patiently wait, and hope that one of his biggest expenses will evaporate in time to dry this fall’s harvest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.