During a visit to Kingsville Monday morning, Ontario's Progressive Conservative leader vowed to follow the example of British Columbia and Alberta when it comes to supporting greenhouse operations.
Patrick Brown stopped at Cecelia Acres on County Rd. 23, before heading to Windsor for a visit to a YMCA summer camp at Southwood Public School.
"The next election will be about change for the better versus the status quo," says Brown. "Life will be better for the greenhouse industry."
He says there is a business case to exempt Ontario greenhouses from the province's cap and trade program since those operations use the carbon dioxide they produce.
While the industry uses natural gas to heat the greenhouses, the carbon dioxide produced is used as a food source for their vegetables and flowers which in turn expel oxygen.
Alberta and B.C. greenhouse industries receive rebates that cover 80% of the cost of those province's carbon taxes. The Tories say the rebate recognizes not only that greenhouses consume some greenhouse gases, but that it is an export industry that competes with jurisdictions that do not charge them as an emitter.
A release from the party says "with nearly 2,900 greenhouses... Wynne's Cap and Trade scheme will result in many of these greenhouses relocating to carbon tax-free jurisdictions across the border."
Brown heads to London later this afternoon for a speech before supporters at the Greek Canadian Club.