Canadian Legislative Issues

Over the past several months, the government of Ontario has continuously signaled its desire to make electric vehicles a priority for consumers. This has been made obvious through a variety of announcements, most recently through the announcement of Ontario’s Climate Change Strategy unveiled in early-June. Consumers have responded to the government’s direction, with electric cars sold in Canada hitting the 20,000 mark in May of this year. These consumers will also be happy to know that Ontario has partnered with companies like IKEA and Tim Hortons to build 500 new charging stations across the busiest transportation corridors in the province by March of 2017.

The Ontario Government is not alone. On August 10, 2016, federal officials in a report to Transport Minister Marc Garneau, stated that cash rebates and tax incentives are the best way to convince Canadians to buy electric cars as part of an overall government strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions. This statement comes after research was released that showed electric vehicle purchase incentives have increased sales, with 95 percent of sales having taken place in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, the only 3 provinces currently offering rebates. In response to the report, the federal Liberals haven’t stated if they will begin offering cash incentives but they have been hearing from a variety of stakeholders. The only commitment from the federal government has been $62.5 million set aside in its 2016-2017 budget to help businesses install workplace fueling stations for electric cars as well as support for natural gas and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Not everyone agrees with this push towards electric vehicles. Dennis DesRosiers, President of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, believes that Ontario’s plan to spend over $20 million on 500 new charging stations is a "waste of taxpayer’s money." Since electric vehicles only account for 0.3 percent of all vehicles sold across Canada, these charging stations will only benefit a small portion of Ontarians. DesRosiers believes that money would be better spent in helping industry with the technology and science behind the vehicles, to make them more attractive to consumers. This would be done by increasing ranges and making charging stations more efficient. Without these much needed advances in technology, conventional vehicles will continue to dominate Canada’s roads well into the 21st Century.