Climate Cash Waste: From Your Wallet to Theirs – By MP Cheryl Gallant

As Canadians face rising property taxes and housing costs, it's crucial to examine how federal climate funding influences municipal policies. In this insightful piece, MP Cheryl Gallant uncovers the financial mechanisms behind the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) climate initiatives, highlighting how taxpayer dollars are directed into consultant-driven policies that may lead to higher taxes and increased housing prices.

This article is particularly relevant for municipal leaders, councillors, and engaged citizens who are concerned about the balance between environmental initiatives and fiscal responsibility. MP Gallant provides a case study from Renfrew County, where a $70,000 taxpayer-funded report recommended further expenditures, potentially benefiting the consulting firm involved.

For elected representatives at all levels—from municipal councils to the Senate—this is an essential read.

The full article is republished below with permission from MP Cheryl Gallant.

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Climate Cash Waste: From Your Wallet to Theirs – By MP Cheryl Gallant

The NDP-Liberal Socialist Coalition is using your federal tax dollars to lobby for higher property taxes and higher home prices. To see how, we must follow the money down the socialist rabbit hole. At the top of the pyramid scheme is Justin Trudeau and the Government of Canada.

The Liberals molested the Harper era Green Municipal Fund by changing it from saving you money to taking your money. Most recently they have repurposed $2.4 billion of your tax dollars to enrich their corporate allies, while potentially robbing you of your home. That $2.4 billion works out to about a $100 from each taxpayer.

As part of this Municipal Green Fund, the Liberals gave the Federation of Canadian Municipalities $530 million to run the Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation program. This means in order to qualify municipalities must apply to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to receive funding instead of applying to the federal government to receive federal dollars. That method worked when the funding went to save ratepayers money, but its abuse now means only large municipalities, which can afford expensive consultants to align the applications with the NDP-Liberal socialist doctrine, receive the funds.

The $530 million the Federation obtained last year from your tax dollars is meant to replace the previous program called the “Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program”. It ran from 2017 until 2022 and was worth $75-million over five years. Going from $75 million to $530 million is a typical example of the kind of inflation-causing spending we have suffered under with the Socialist Coalition in power.

The Federation hands out your tax dollars on behalf of the federal government to municipalities to develop “climate” spending plans instead of conservation efforts. This gives municipalities that had the money for consultants to apply up to $70,000 in funding to “…assess the viability and impact of their potential climate adaptation implementation projects.”

It is important to remember that $70,000 amount. It will be referred to again.

In 2023 the County of Renfrew adopted the Official Plan. It required the County to prepare a Climate Adaptation Plan. The Council set a budget of $25,000, and the County staff issued a call for proposals.

In August of 2023, the Council heard from staff that it had received four qualified proposals, and the lowest bid was unsurprisingly just over $70,000. Renfrew County awarded the contract to Ainsworth Inc.

Last November, the County Council discussed the Climate Action Plan prepared by Ainsworth Inc. The report proposed 42 actions the County could take to reduce emissions, and ranked the different actions on a scale of 0 to 10, with ten being the highest impact actions. It also included a direct cost for only 5 of the 42 proposed actions. Just 4 of the proposed actions received a score of 10 with most getting a zero.

For example, the consultant told Renfrew County it should spend $100,000 to complete an energy audit of County owned buildings. The very next recommendation was to implement the recommendations from the energy audit. No cost was associated with the implementation, but it scored a 10. This would include everything from improved heating and cooling systems to major renovations to reduce the carbon emissions from County buildings.

The company that wrote the Climate Action Plan is not some little environmental consultancy. As its ‘About Page’ boasts, it is one of North America’s leading integrated multi-trade companies. The County of Renfrew spent $70,000 for a report from a company that recommended spending more money on exactly the type of services offered by the company. In essence the initial $70,000 of your tax dollars was used for a corporate advertisement. The truly outrageous aspect is it seems as though perhaps County residents spent $70,000 on a copy and paste report. The report actually recommends the County encourage developers to build around transit developments. Renfrew County has no public transit.

Implementing the recommendations will cost millions of dollars for the county.

How will they pay for it?

Through higher property taxes.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is even encouraging homeowners to take out large loans to make green retrofits, and then paying it back on the property tax bills. If homeowners move, the loan stays with the property tax bill. That will put owning a home for first time buyers even further out of reach.

Over the last nine years, the Liberals have spent billions of dollars on this type of program. The funds do nothing to reduce emissions. They do enrich a vast web of climate consultants, and are all paid with your tax dollars.

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Image Caption: A large turnout at the Renfrew County Council Chambers to hear Maggie Hope Braun present landowners' concerns over the County’s Climate Action Plan.