A Liberal government climate change program to phase out oil furnaces has seen 80 homeowners convert to greener energy nationwide, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. Cabinet had pointed to the program as justification for a $1 billion carbon tax break for Atlantic Canadians. It said the oil furnace replacement grant worth $15,000 was intended to subsidize “the purchase and installation of a new electric cold climate heat pump, save thousands of dollars annually on heating bills and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”Some 286,000 Atlantic Canadians use home heating oil. Of the 1,241 homeowners who applied for the subsidy, 361 were denied to date — a rejection rate of 29%. The figures were tabled at the request of Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs (Lakeland, AB), who asked how many applications for funding through the oil furnace transition program have been received. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in October there will be changes to the carbon tax to assist people in rural areas and those who use heating oil to heat their homes. READ MORE: Trudeau drops carbon tax on heating oil, increases rebate for Atlantic Canadians“Today’s announcement is good news for Atlantic Canadians, rural Canadians and people across the country,” said Trudeau.“We are putting more money back into your pocket and making it easier for you to find affordable, long-term solutions to heat your home.”The Parliamentary Budget Office said in a report in November suspending the carbon tax on home heating oil would save taxpayers $1.08 billion. Atlantic Canadian Liberal MPs defended the tax break as necessary for constituents converting from oil heat. “It is not slogans; it is solutions,” said Liberal MP Kody Blois (Kings-Hants, NS). “That is what we are focused on.”When Blois went out in Kings-Hants in the summer, he talked to seniors. The seniors said this was a great program. He admitted the carbon tax break was intended “to help people utilize the program.”“There are one million Canadian households that still use heating oil in this country and 286,000 of them are in Atlantic Canada, but they are spread all across this country,” he said. “The evidence would suggest the majority of people who still use heating oil are people who are lower income and who do not have the ability to transition off that fuel source.”
