City calls for pause to fed’s carbon tax

Lloydminster City Council is calling upon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government to immediately pause further increases to the federal carbon tax.

With the upcoming carbon tax increase scheduled for April 1, Mayor Gerald Aalbers says municipalities need more time to assess how local governments will continue to provide services in the wake of another increase.

“Every day, I have conversations with people who are feeling the financial pinch as the cost-of-living creeps higher. As a municipality, we face similar challenges in determining how to stretch dollars and provide critical services,” said Aalbers in a statement from City Hall on Tuesday. 

“It would appear the ripple effects of escalating tax burdens have not been fully considered at the federal level, and we – Canada’s municipal leadership – require more time to compile and communicate our challenges. From there, we hope to work with other levels of government to forge solutions that will protect the quality of life for our communities.”

The April 1 increase, if implemented, would see the price of carbon rise from $65 per tonne to $80. It is scheduled to increase another $15 each year until 2030 when it reaches $170 a tonne.

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF