​Reaching our net zero emissions goals will require de-carbonizing as many areas of greenhouse gas emissions as possible – including vehicle fleets.
 
Transitioning medium and heavy-duty vehicles away from fossil fuels will be particularly challenging. There’s a new policy primer from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce titled Transitioning to Low-Carbon Fleets in Ontario, which provides some insights in what it will take to make the move.
 
According to the report, emissions from freight transportation in Canada have increased more than 250% from 1990 to 2019.
 
Technology options include turning to electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to reduce tailpipe emissions. There is potential that hydrogen fuel cells could be used for emission-free long-haul deliveries. Another area of development is around clean fuels, including renewable natural gas and diesel.
 
The OCC breaks down its recommendations into four categories:
 
Clean energy supply
 
Going electric is going to require significant investments in clean baseload power. Right now, 75% of power generation in Ontario comes from nuclear and hydroelectric and we will need more overall power output to meet growing demand.
 
Recommendations:
 
1. Prioritize procurement and financing of clean baseload electricity infrastructure projects.
 
2. Work towards a more flexible and streamlined regulatory framework for clean energy projects. For example, environmental and safety assessments approved by one level of government should be able to form the basis for approval by another government and for the expansion or continued operation of those sites.
 
3. Set supply targets and incentivize production of hydrogen, RNG, and renewable diesel, borrowing best practices from British Columbia’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard.  
 
Charging and refueling
 
Charging and refueling continue to be big barriers to clean tech adoption. While we have made significant progress in adding more charging stations, most of that is focused on consumer vehicles and are not suitable for medium and heavy-duty fleet operators.
 
Recommendations:
 
1. Expand and incentivize investments in charging and refueling station infrastructure for low-carbon commercial fleets across major supply chain and commercial transportation routes.
 
2. Expand electricity distribution infrastructure across the province to support the added charging infrastructure.
 
3. Implement an alternative electricity rate structure for commercial EV fleet operators to incentivize time-of-use behaviours and reduce cost barriers.
 
4. Work with industry and post-secondary institutions to ensure Ontario’s workforce has the skills needed to build and operate low-carbon transportation infrastructure.
 
Clean technologies for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle classes
 
The electric vehicle market is developing quickly, but alternatives that may be better suited for medium and heavy-duty vehicles need investment. These include hydrogen and renewable natural gas vehicles.
 
Recommendations:
 
1. Invest in low-carbon vehicle research and development programs at Ontario’s post-secondary institutions to support the advancement and commercialization of new technologies for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle classes.
 
2. Recognize RNG as a zero-emission technology solution.
 
3. Recognize the contribution of low-carbon intensity liquid fuels as part of the transition while low-carbon vehicle technologies advance.
 
Purchase incentives
 
The cost of purchasing low or zero-emissions fleet vehicles is a major barrier for businesses.
 
Recommendation:
 
Consider adopting a low-carbon vehicle incentive program for commercial fleets to complement the federal iMHZEV program and Green Freight Program, and match the incentives found in British Columbia and Quebec.

Mayor Leal and Council,
 
In 2008, I was a part of a committee formed by the Kawartha Manufacturers Association and the Chamber of Commerce. We worked with the Council of the day to have them act on regulation 386/98 of the Municipal Act, 2001. The Provincial Government had brought in substantial changes to the municipal property taxes with current value assessment and revisions for tax fairness. It was found that municipalities overtaxed business properties relative to the services they received and that Industrial and Commercial rates should be at 85%, and no more than 110% of the residential rate.
 
Industry in Peterborough was paying 260% of the residential rate in 2008 and Council committed to a 10-year journey to reach a 1.5 multiple milestone, with the intention to eventually get to parity with residential. Industrial tax rates reached that milestone two years ago.
 
The previous 4 Councils worked hard towards tax fairness in Peterborough. This Council is going backwards.
 
My company, Merit Precision, is a contract manufacturer of plastic, steel, and zirconium parts to a wide variety of industries over much of North America and Europe. We employ about 80 people in Peterborough.
 
Last year Merit paid $123,395 in property tax, or the profit on its first $2.47M in revenues.
 
Unlike Government, Merit is unable to raise prices to offset increased costs as pricing is set on the world stage. Unlike Government, Merit will have to reduce costs to maintain a realistic margin or go out of business.
 
The City of Peterborough does not have a tax revenue problem. It has a cost problem. I see nowhere in your deliberations that you have attempted to reduce your costs in any meaningful way. It is certainly appropriate to raise taxes to pay for capital improvements, but a 10% increase for operations is outlandish.
 
If you do opt for the easy way out, please never again lament the lack of manufacturing jobs in this community.
 
Respectfully, Tim Barrie, President, Merit Precision Ltd.
 
 
 
The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce has issued a letter to City Council and a media advisory regarding the tax ratio increase.
​

We need to do better when it comes to economic reconciliation.
 
Economic reconciliation is so much more than a moral imperative — the cost of inaction is holding us back culturally and economically.
 
There’s a new policy paper from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) called Sharing Prosperity: An Introduction to Building Relationships for Economic Reconciliation in Ontario. It’s an introductory resource as part of the Economic Reconciliation Initiative, a partnership between both organizations aimed at advancing economic reconciliation by building business capacity to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 92.
 
It's key to appreciate that reports like this are a starting place. It provides some of the resources to build relationships and move us in the right direction. To get there, it helps give historical context, provides insights on Indigenous rights, highlights challenges facing Indigenous businesses, and provides meaningful opportunities for engagement.
 
The report describes an Indigenous economy that is both strong and growing with Indigenous businesses contributing nearly $50 billion annual to Canada’s GDP. There are more than 75,000 Indigenous-owned businesses and entrepreneurs in Canada.
 
Some of the key actions that businesses can take include:
 
• Advancing Indigenous cultural awareness and education by sharing territorial acknowledgements, distributing educational reconciliation resources to staff, providing Indigenous cultural competency training, and attending/participating in Indigenous events.
 
• Promoting equitable Indigenous employment and business opportunities by providing reduced rates/complimentary access to events, memberships, and training for Indigenous businesses/individuals, implementing inclusive Human Resource strategies to recruit and retain Indigenous candidates, auditing workplace policies and procedures to promote reconciliation, linking executive compensation to economic reconciliation performance metrics, and convening an Indigenous Advisory Committee.
 
• Engaging with Indigenous communities and supporting economic development by making Indigenous community investments, developing Indigenous partnership-building and engagement strategies, implementing Indigenous procurement policies, obtaining certification/accreditation in Indigenous relations, developing a Reconciliation Action Plan, and entering into revenue- or equity-sharing agreements with Indigenous businesses and/or communities.
 
Diversity, equity and inclusion as well as environmental, social and governance goals are becoming a bigger priority for many businesses and organizations. While connected to both of those approaches, economic reconciliation puts a focus on efforts to recognize the unique, inherent, ancestral, and customary responsibilities of Indigenous Peoples.
 
Reports like Sharing Prosperity help outline what businesses and organizations of all sizes can do to support stronger Indigenous economic outcomes.
As stated by the OCC Board of Directors: “It is critical to underscore that reconciliation is not about ‘checking a box’ but rather committing to a continual process of learning and action.”