News

Letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty regarding Mandatory Energy Labelling

Clifford Maynes' letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty .PDF (44 KB)

_______________________________________________________________________

Keep the Ontario Home Energy Savings Program Alive

In light of the recent federal announcement to no longer accept new entrants into the ecoENERGY Retrofit program, the Ontario government is reviewing their complementary Home Energy Savings Program (OHESP). The OHESP piggybacked on ecoENERGY and provided dollar for dollar matching grants to the federal program. It also provided Ontario homeowners with a rebate of up to $150 for a home energy audit.

We need the Ontario government to show leadership and to keep this residential energy-efficiency program alive in Ontario. Please write Premier Dalton McGuinty and your local MPP to urge them to continue to accept new entrants into OHESP. You can find their contact information at the following site: www.ontariotenants.ca/government/mpp.phtml

_______________________________________________________________________

On 31 March 2010, Natural Resources Canada announced that, effective 5pm, the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes Program is no longer accepting new bookings for pre-retrofit evaluations.

This was shocking news - and it's a step backward at a time when Canada should be moving forward into a new era of energy efficiency.

Help us to bring back the ecoENERGY program by writing to the PM, other politicians, your MP, local media, etc. Make some noise! Find your MP.

See backgrounder on the rationale to extend ecoEnergy.

See thoughts on the government's on-again-off-again approach to home efficiency MORE LESS

The federal government doesn’t seem to be able to figure out whether it is coming or going on home energy efficiency.

First, in 2006, they cancel a perfectly good program, EnerGuide for Houses, for no good reason.

Then, almost a year later, they bring back essentially the same program with a new name, ecoENERGY.

Then, in 2009, they boost retrofit incentives by 25 per cent – resulting in a tremendous increase in retrofit activity.

Now – abruptly, without warning or consultation - they cancel the ecoENERGY program (stop accepting new participants).

At the same time they hint vaguely that the ecoENERGY program may not be permanently cancelled after all, and may someday return.

Mr. Harper: make up your mind!

All of this sucking and blowing is confusing for homeowners who want to invest in home energy upgrades, and damaging to partnerships with provincial governments and others who are piggy-backing their own programs and enhancements on ecoENERGY.

It also seriously undermines the home energy efficiency industry, including energy auditors, insulators, draft proofers, and others who have invested heavily and are now faced with business losses and unemployment.

Canada needs a stable long-term commitment to bring our housing stock into the 21st century. Canada needs leadership and vision – not an on again off again government program.

See media release below.

MEDIA RELEASE

Green Communities Canada urges federal vision, leadership

Don’t pull the plug on home energy progress

1 April 2010 - Cancelling Canada’s ecoENERGY home retrofit program is a serious mistake, says Green Communities Canada, a national leader in energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

“Existing participants can still get retrofit incentives for the time being. But without new entrants [blocked by an announcement on Wednesday] ecoENERGY is dying a slow death,” said Clifford Maynes, Executive Director of Green Communities Canada.

Countries like the U.S. and the U.K. are aggressively ramping up energy efficiency, which creates green jobs, improves competitiveness, and generates huge bill savings as well as major environmental benefits.

“Canada needs to get with the program,” Maynes said. “Instead of turning its back on energy efficiency, Ottawa should demonstrate vision and leadership. Canada needs a bold commitment to bring Canada’s inefficient housing stock into the 21st Century.”

Green Communities Canada was the first to deliver Canada’s national home energy efficiency program, starting in 1998, and later designed and piloted the retrofit incentive that has stimulated hundreds of millions of dollars in energy savings.

“Energy efficiency saves more money than it costs: it makes us richer as well as greener,” Maynes said.

The United Kingdom recently committed to retrofit all homes by 2030, with firm interim targets for the next 5-10 years. “That’s the kind of leadership we need in Canada,” Maynes said. To date, less than ten per cent of Canadian housing has benefited from the EnerGuide and ecoENERGY incentive programs.

Federal officials issued a surprise announcement on Wednesday that no new participants would be permitted to enter the ecoENERGY program. “This is shoddy treatment – for thousands of Canadians working in the energy-saving industry, and for provincial and utility partners,” Maynes said. “It’s a real setback.”

Green Communities Canada calls on the federal government to sit down with interested parties to forge an ambitious plan for an eco-efficient future.

-30-

Contact: Clifford Maynes, 705 745 7479 x 118, cma...@greencommunitiescanada.org

Green Communities Canada, founded in 1995, is a national association of non-profit organizations that deliver innovative environmental programs and services. See www.savehomeenergy.ca

_______________________________________________________________________

Yellow Pages Group Takes Action by Changing the World, One Step at a Time With Green Communities Canada and Equiterre

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - April 22, 2009) - Promoting ethical consumption, implementing a more efficient energy-saving policy, reducing business travel and producing directories in a responsible way... These are just a few examples of actions to be taken on by Yellow Pages Group (YPG) and its employees as part of the Changing the world, one step at a time campaign developed by Equiterre. This campaign aims at encouraging individuals and organizations to make ethical and ecological choices. Equiterre and its partner, Green Communities Canada, will support YPG in the accomplishment of its commitment. YPG is the first business to be part of this campaign in all its offices across Canada.

"The commitment of a large organization such as Yellow Pages Group demonstrates that it is possible to integrate concrete actions into a company's business practices to preserve the environment and our communities" says Clifford Maynes, Executive Director of Green Communities Canada. "We are strong believers in the Changing the world, one step at a time program as it motivates people to be proactive about the environment in their everyday lives. We applaud Yellow Pages Group's efforts and we encourage businesses to do the same."

YPG has already initiated some important environmental initiatives in its business practices. For example, the company already produces directories composed of post-consumer fibre from Canadian suppliers, vegetable-based ink and hot-melt glue, rendering them entirely recyclable. YPG also only purchases 100% recycled and FSC certified office paper for all its offices across the country. Other initiatives to come in 2009 will include: offering the option to consumers to customize their directory order, reviewing the employee business travel policy, and offering fair-trade products. YPG will report its progress on the different actions put into place over time.

"We are committed to strengthening our environmental initiatives on an ongoing basis and this program gives the perfect framework for us to focus on certain priorities and measure our performance," states Annie Marsolais, Communications Director of Yellow Pages Group. "We are proud to be working with environmental leaders such as Equiterre and Green Communities Canada to reduce our ecological footprint for the benefits of the communities in which we operate."

With this campaign, YPG will put into place selected initiatives over the next three years, including:

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from business travel
Encouraging green commuting solutions
Promoting socially responsible and sustainable purchasing
Making socially responsible and sustainable purchasing choices
Promoting and purchasing certified fair trade products
Promoting local and organic agriculture
Implementing energy efficiency measures in its offices
Collaborating with its distributors to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions
Implementing paper reduction initiatives
Supporting directory recycling
Enhancing source reduction and recycling in its offices
Contributing to employee social involvement

For more information and updates on YPG's involvement in the Changing the world, one step at a time campaign, click here Adobe (PDF 355 KB) or visit www.ypg.com/environment.

Green Communities Canada is a national association of non-profit organizations that deliver innovative, practical and environmental solutions to Canadian communities, with a focus on household and community action. Green Communities Canada supports member organizations in working together to achieve environmental sustainability, including healthy ecosystems and communities, sustainable resource use, and clean air, water, and soil. For more information, visit www.greencommunitiescanada.org.

Equiterre helps build a social movement by encouraging individuals, organizations and governments to make ecological and equitable choices, in a spirit of solidarity. Through its four programs - ecological agriculture, fair trade, sustainable transportation and energy efficiency - the organization has developed projects that encourage individuals to take concrete actions that bring about positive change. All of Equiterre's projects are backed by solid expertise, built on the latest developments in the related fields. For more information, visit www.equiterre.org.

TSX: YLO.UN

Yellow Pages Group is Canada's leader local commercial search provider. It publishes annually more than 340 Yellow PagesTM and residential directories. The Company owns and manages Canada's most visited online directories, YellowPages.caTM and Canada411.caTM, as well as CanadaPlus.caTM, a network of seven local city sites. Yellow Pages Group employs over 2,300 people in Canada and is indirectly held by Yellow Pages Income Fund (TSX:YLO.UN). For more information, visit www.ypg.com.

For more information, please contact:

Yellow Pages Group
Perry Schwartz
416-412-5623
perry.schwartz@ypg.com