The Ontario government has decided to replace coal-fired generation with cleaner sources of energy and conservation and to clean up Ontario’s air. The plan will improve the health of citizens and contribute to the sustainability of our environment while ensuring a reliable supply of electricity. Ontario will be the first jurisdiction in North America to phase-out coal fired power plants. The government’s plan comes a day after a report released by the Ontario Medical Association predicted that premature deaths associated with air pollution will hit a staggering 10,000 lives by the year 2026 if the province does not take action to further improve the quality of air in Ontario. A cost benefit analysis released in April 2005 uncovered massive health and environmental costs from coal-fired generation. The study found emissions from all coal-fired stations were responsible for up to 668 premature deaths, 928 hospital admissions and 1,100 emergency room visits in Ontario per year. It also found that with an annual cost of $4.4 billion, coal-fired generation is significantly more expensive than other sources of electricity.
weblink: Ontario Energy Web page • in detail XlnkS6EB